Soon he came away with a devastating diagnosis: the neurodegenerative disorder ALS.
He was given six months to live.
But he and his wife Sandra refused to accept his fate passively.
Burkes role on the film stemmed from a long relationship with Wallach.
They have known each other since they were undergraduates.
In 2018 I heard from him about this diagnosis.
He reached out to a bunch of us from college and let people know, Burke recalled.
Im launching a nonprofit, we need a launch spot.
Can you come out to Chicago tomorrow and shoot this thing?
And of course the answer was yes.
ProducerTim Rummelrealized the initial idea could be taken much further.
People like executive producers Katie Couric and Phil Rosenthal, creator ofEverybody Loves Raymond.
Rummel said supporters joined the film because of Brian and Sandra and their story.
Scientists are discovering more and more links than we ever previously realized between all these diseases, Burke noted.
Wallach, now 43, has long surpassed doctors dire predictions for his lifespan.
He and his wife continue to lead the nonprofit they founded, I Am ALS.
Check out the panel video above.
