Living With…

"Being sick shows you who your true friends are," says an 18-year-old teen suffering from Crohn's, an incurable, painful, and often embarrassing inflammatory bowel disease. Throughout this fine program on teenagers coping with various illnesses and conditions, from the award-winning PBS series In the Mix, the importance of having the support and acceptance of friends and family is underscored. Viewers meet a wide cross-section of very "normal" teens with asthma, juvenile diabetes, sickle cell anemia, the aforementioned Crohn's, and cancers such as Hodgkin lymphoma and leukemia. Combining round-robin discussions, honest interviews, and day-to-day glimpses of these teens who are fighting to enjoy a reasonably normal life, the program illustrates each condition and its effects: the embarrassment and isolation, the constant pain and monotony of medication, and the restrictions and obstacles. However, this video is far from depressing; on the contrary, the teens profiled all have a sincerely positive attitude about dealing with their illnesses, and they talk about the importance of full disclosure to peers and adults, offer advice on finding support groups on the Internet or at a treatment center, and suggest ways that other teens, as "healthy" friends, can best help. Recommended. Aud: J, H. (E. Gieschen)