Health

Click here to see the trailer for COPD: Highly Illogical.

The trailer for the upcoming film “COPD: Highly Illogical” is narrated by John de Lancie (“Q” of “Star Trek: The Next Generation”) and features Julie Nimoy, daughter of beloved actor Leonard Nimoy of “Mr. Spock” fame. Leonard Nimoy died just over a year ago of complications related to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

I’m very excited to be involved in this important project, which will be released later this year, during the 50th anniversary of the debut of the original “Star Trek.” I’m proud to have written the trailer and to be involved in scripting the upcoming film, which is in production now.

It’s the true story of Leonard Nimoy’s personal battle against this disease … and his final mission to speak out and educate others about the dangers of COPD, which affects approximately 30 million Americans but remains little understood by the general public.

As someone who has spent a good part of his career writing about progressive, life-threatening diseases like the muscular dystrophies and ALS, it feels natural for me to be part of Leonard Nimoy’s mission to broaden awareness of COPD. The goal is to help all of us better understand how COPD can be prevented, treated and — one day — cured so that families will no longer lose loved ones to this often fatal but preventable disease.

And as a lifelong Star Trek fan (yes, I’ve been to conventions and I even own my own tribble and set of Klingon battlecruiser blueprints) it’s just very cool to be connected to Leonard Nimoy’s legend and the grand mythos created so long ago by Gene Roddenberry. With the success of the new “Star Trek” films produced by J.J. Abrams, it seems that Roddenberry’s optimistic, operatic vision for the future still has a lot of life in it, even after 50 years of storytelling.

I’ll post more as the film develops. It promises to be a very moving story about Leonard Nimoy and his family, but also about all families fighting COPD. I hope it will be a game-changer in sparking awareness to prevent more lives from being lost to COPD.

Live Long and Prosper!