The incredibly powerful, moving documentary film on Steve Gleasons life opens with his face pressed up close to the camera, having an intimate conversation with his unborn son.But it also feels as if he is talking directly to us, the audience.My No. 1 focus and purpose is to share with you who I am. And to give you as much of myself as I possibly can, while I can, Gleason says.And, wow, does he deliver.Gleason, the former New Orleans Saints special teamer/cult hero, made one of the greatest plays in team history with his blocked punt on the night the Superdome reopened after Hurricane Katrina. Then he became a celebrated champion for those suffering from ALS after he was diagnosed with the merciless disease in 2011. A statue of him titled, Rebirth was erected outside of the Superdome to honor both achievements.But in this film, Gleason reveals things like five minutes after he got home from that statue ceremony, I pooped all over myself and my wheelchair.And I think its crazy that I can go from people saying, Youre my hero to having to be helped onto a toilet with my pants full of s---, Gleason tells the camera, tells his son, tells all of us.Its an incredible example of the polarities and dichotomies and juxtapositions that is my life.Gleason and his wife Michel Varisco share the most intimate moments of their lives in Gleason, which opens Friday in select cities throughout the country. Their greatest triumphs and struggles are equally laid bare for the audience.Tear-jerking moments like the birth of their son Rivers, or the gift they give to a fellow ALS patient as their Team Gleason foundation begins its remarkable mission.Gut-wrenching moments like Gleason screaming to the camera, I want to punch something, but I cant! or wailing to his father, My soul is saved!Intimate moments like Steve apologizing to Michel in the bathroom, or pestering her about why theyve become so distant.And, believe it or not, many moments of biting humor -- even when Gleason is receiving an enema.Honestly, I had no idea that this was gonna be ... Michel says, before catching herself. I probably should have thought of it, because Steve is who he is. But every day, the stuff that they filmed, I had no idea how big it would get.And I think thats why its so raw and real and Im wearing Steves underwear for half the movie.Documenting the true version of GleasonWhat makes the film so raw and so real is that it started out as a series of video journals that Gleason began producing for his child when they first found out Michel was pregnant just six weeks after he was diagnosed -- not knowing if they would ever truly get the chance to know each other.I wanted to be sure he didnt get the storybook sports dad version of me, Gleason said via email this week. I wanted him to know the raw, imperfect, flailing person that we all are, especially me.So he recorded everything -- first by himself with a camcorder or cellphone, then later with young filmmakers Ty Minton-Small and David Lee, who basically moved in with the family.Only later was the idea generated to make a film that could help bring awareness to the plight of those battling ALS around the globe, which was when accomplished documentary filmmaker Clay Tweel joined the project.Im so proud of Steve and Michel, to have the courage and willingness to share their story, said former Saints linebacker Scott Fujita, a close friend who helped spearhead the project as a first-time movie producer. Everyone whos seen this film walks away from it feeling something [even if theyre] unable to articulate exactly what that something is. Theyre angry, theyre excited, theyre happy, they laughed, they cried. But theyre inspired to do something, and thats a good thing.It sticks on you.Gleason admitted that he still gets extremely anxious before each screening of the movie at film festivals or premieres -- much like how he felt preparing for a game during his seven-year playing career.Its exciting. Crazy, but exciting, Gleason said this week. The decision to share the footage was not easy, and I wouldnt say Michel or I are completely comfortable with it. But we also had a feeling that the footage could have an impact on an audience beyond football or ALS. That seems to be the case as the movie has rolled out. People who have no connection to ALS or football are connecting to and being changed by the film.Michel, who is extremely candid in the film about having no desire to be a hero or a saint, said it has been affirming to hear from people like a woman she met after a screening in Washington D.C. who has a spouse with ALS and couldnt wait for all of her friends and family to see the film.Its always gonna feel weird, Michel said. But the more the movie is seen and the more we see how its impacting people and affecting people, its so tremendous that it makes sharing our complete private, intimate life -- it makes it more bearable. It makes it OK. ... It makes me feel proud of all of us.Bringing Gleasons story to the screenAnother of Gleasons former teammates, Drew Brees, signed on with his wife Brittany to help fund the project as a co-executive producer.Brees own 2010 memoir/motivational book was titled, Coming Back Stronger as he shared his story of returning from a major injury. But Brees said when it comes to the idea of overcoming adversity, Gleason is absolutely the best example I could ever think of.Listen, none of us know what we would ever do if we were faced with our own mortality, how that would affect us, Brees said. And I think in this film you see the struggles and the phases that he goes through with coping with that reality. ... And yet, just the power of the mind and the spirit, which he has more than any person Ive ever known, it just gives you so much hope.The documentary premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and was quickly bought by Amazon Studios, which is partnering with Open Road Films to release the movie. Gleason has earned rave reviews and awards at various festivals throughout the year -- as well as some Oscar buzz.Fujita admitted those types of things were mentioned in early beer-and-pizza planning sessions with another original producer -- Michels former college roommate, Kimi Culp -- but it never seemed like a realistic goal until much later.Fujita and Culp were the ones who gathered together several investors, including Brees and other NFL players and coaches. And they were the ones who sought out a director to take an estimated 1,300 hours of footage and craft it into a masterpiece.Tweel was the perfect choice, not only for his skills as a director but because of the personal connection he felt with the project. Tweels sister has multiple sclerosis, and his father was Muhammad Alis attorney for 30 years.I got sent a little teaser trailer clip a couple years ago. It was heartbreaking and heartwarming all at once, Tweel said of what attracted him to the project. It just moved me in a way that I havent been moved before, and it was only six minutes long.Tweel said what makes the film so special is not only the intimate footage but Steve and Michel themselves.They are hilarious. And they totally light up a room, and its such a joy to be in their presence, that we wanted to get that across, too, Tweel said.Just a normal fatherAlthough Michel doesnt want to be a hero, she emerges as the co-star -- if not the star -- of this film. The camera often reveals her silent plight -- the fear in her eyes when she notices Steve starting to lose his physical abilities, how drained she looks as she feeds both Steve and Rivers at the same time.And she bluntly delivers lines like, I dont want to be like a devil or a d---face, but I dont want to be a saint either. I just want to be a real person.Another scene stealer is Blair Casey, a family friend of Michels who became an invaluable part of the family as a caretaker.They have more help now, with a small team of caregivers joining that family while Michel is focusing on motherhood and her artwork, and Casey is working full-time for the foundation. But Gleason said, Blair and Michel represent the best of that support.Luckily I had their humor and strength as we adapted to this new life, Gleason said.And then there is Rivers, who isnt featured heavily in the film but remains its heart and soul.As the movie began taking shape, Gleason envisioned it focusing on the relationship between fathers and sons, with his complicated relationship with his own father also dissected in several powerful scenes.One of the many tear-jerking moments in the film comes when Gleason tells Rivers: At this point it looks like were not gonna have the normal father-son relationship. I cant play catch with you ... but Im gonna do everything I can to be a good father, to give you what a son needs from his father. And Im gonna be around, buddy.Its not gonna be easy, but its gonna be awesome. And Im gonna be around until you are able to stand on your own as a man.Rivers is almost 5 years old now, and as I watched that scene, I was taken back to a recent conversation I had with Gleason at a charity softball game, when I asked him about Rivers budding baseball career. Like any typical father, Gleason proudly offered to show off some video clips.If youre looking for a happy ending to Gleasons story, that is it, as much as anything else he and Team Gleason have accomplished with the Steve Gleason Act being signed into law or a state-of-the-art care facility being built in New Orleans or the Ice Bucket Challenge turning into a national phenomenon.With the help of an incredible care crew, and some bad-ass technology, I pick [Rivers] up from school every day, Gleason said. We have excellent conversation. I go to all his practices. Im teaching him the nuances of baseball. We listen to a wide range of music. In many ways, I feel like weve conquered ALS, and its great to have our foundation help others do the same.For Rivers, Im just a normal father. For me, thats very exciting. Discount Air Max 97 NZ . Its 1987 and a Brazilian playmaker, known as Mirandinha, is being paraded around St James Park to the passionate Newcastle fans. Air Max 97 Online NZ . Hazard cut in from the left and scored with a swerving right-footed shot for ninth goal of the season, which proved to be enough for the victory despite Chelseas forwards again lacking a cutting edge up front. http://www.discountairmax97nz.com/ . PETERSBURG, Fla. Cheap Air Max 97 Wholesale . Hey!" The lower tier of the School End of Queens Park Rangers Loftus Road was packed solid with a very festive-sounding Chelsea choral section in this particular part of South Africa Road London, W12. Womens Air Max 97 NZ . LOUIS -- Heading into the final stretch of the season, the issues for the Chicago Bears banged-up defence only seem to be getting worse. Rob Andrew, the former England rugby union fly-half and long-term professional rugby director at the RFU, has been unveiled as the new chairman of Sussex.Andrew, 53, played first-class cricket for Cambridge University between 1982 and 1985, and also turned out for Yorkshires second XI as a batsman and offspinner.His rugby career included 71 caps for England and five for the British and Irish Lions. He played in three World Cups between 1987 and 1995, before spending ten years at the RFU, eventually leaving at the end of last season.He succeeds Zac Toumazi as Sussexs chief executive at a tricky period in the clubs long history. The club was relegated at the end of 2015, bringing to an end a period of unprecedented success including three County Championships between 2003 and 2007, and with the ECB turning its attention towards the new city-based league scheduled to be launched in 2020, Andrews high-profile appointment is intriguingly timed.He will take over at Sussex Cricket in January 2017, with a brief to build on Toumazis work in overseeing the integration of the professional club with the recreational board annd its 245 affiliated league clubs.dddddddddddd.Commenting on the appointment, Jim May, chairman of Sussex Cricket said: I am extremely pleased about the appointment of Rob Andrew. He has exceptional experience, both playing and administering sport which will be of great help to our cricket management delivering success.I am thrilled and really excited to be joining Sussex, said Andrew. The structures that have been put in place under the Sussex Cricket Limited umbrella have laid a very strong foundation for the future.I am looking forward to working with everyone connected with Sussex to help create success in professional cricket, recreational cricket and community programmes and ensuring that Hove remains a very special cricket ground.I will be focussing on driving forward the strategy over the next few years and helping write the next chapter in the rich history of Cricket in Sussex. These are exciting times for Sussex Cricket and cricket in general and I cant wait to get started. ' ' '