Tickets for ‘Breathe’ available now

ASHLAND — A coalition of Rotary International Clubs in Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia has come together to challenge the Tri-State to join the fight to “End Polio Now.”

In recognition of World Polio Day in October, the group has organized a screening of the movie, “Breathe,” at the Paramount Arts Center.

“Breathe,” the true-life story of a polio survivor will be shown on the theatre’s big screen at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28. The movie was released in 2017 by Bleeker Street and produced by Jonathan Cavendish (Bridget Jones’ Diary).

A ticket to the event is a $10 donation to Rotary International’s PolioPlus Fund.

Tickets are on sale and available from Ashland, Barboursville, Ceredo-Kenova, Grayson, Huntington, Ironton, Louisa, Russell and Portsmouth Rotary Club members, as well as at the PAC’s ticket office. Sponsorships are available at the $100, $250 and $500 levels and are largely tax deductible.

All proceeds from the event will go to Rotary International’s PolioPlus Fund and will be matched two-one by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has pledged $450 million to fight Polio over the three-year period of 2017-2019. The foundation is the largest private funding source for the GPEI, and also provides technical support and invests in research. GPEI has estimates it needs $1.5 billion in funding to end polio.

“Breathe” features actors Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy, and tells the story of Cavendish’s father Robin Cavendish, who contracted polio at the age of 28. Robin Cavendish is paralyzed by the disease and given only months to live but with the help of his wife Diana, her family, and the inventor Teddy Hall, Cavendish escapes from a hospital ward and devotes the rest of his life to helping fellow patients and the disabled.

As part of the event two adult size iron lungs, a child size iron lung and additional materials to display at the Paramount Arts Center.