Comfortably Seated

A Feature Film by Production Inc. in Association with His Hands Productions.

This film is based on the life of Ruben Alvarez, a man that has been permanently, yet comfortably seated for most of his life with Cerebral Palsy. Ruben and his wife Renee have three children. Rachel, their eldest daughter was born perfectly healthy and is now 21. Sarah, Ruben and Renee’s second daughter was born with alopecia areata, a type of hair loss that occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks hair follicles. She has no hair but is otherwise perfectly healthy.

Alvarez Family left to right: Renee, Ruben, Rachel, Sarah, and Emily

Alvarez Family left to right: Renee, Ruben, Rachel, Sarah, and Emily

The youngest daughter Emily was born with Spina bifida a birth defect called a neural tube defect. It occurs when the bones of the spine (vertebrae) don’t form properly around part of the baby’s spinal cord. She also had a malformation of the brain. Emily had 12 surgeries in her first year of life, and has had over 25 surgeries to date. There were several surgeries where they were not sure that she would survive. Her last surgery was in July of this year. She is truly a miracle child.

Even with all that Ruben and his family have been through, they face each challenge, and meet every adversity, with a fervent faith and effervescent sense of humor. The film follows Ruben’s life as a young teen through the birth of Emily. The story is incredibly moving, inspiring, and encouraging, and will definitely have you laughing one moment and in tears the next. It will be a story that you will not soon forget. Read Behind the Story to see how this project began.

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