The Low-Phe Life is an animated-documentary-comedy series about living with PKU-a rare metabolic disorder. PKU or phenylketonuria inhibits a person's ability to break down protein.
The Low-Phe Life is an animated-documentary-comedy series about living with PKU-a rare metabolic disorder.
PKU or phenylketonuria inhibits a person's ability to break down protein. People with PKU, like Kurt Sensenbrenner the series' director, must adhere to a strict low protein diet of fruits and vegetables, and drink a supplemental formula multiple times a day for their entire life to avoid serious neurological and physical side effects. For reference a non-PKU person consumes about 60 grams of protein per day, Kurt can only have seven.
Having to maintain such a tight regimen means one little mishap and things can go awry quickly! This series focuses on the times in life when things don't go according to plan, it embraces the humor that can be found in stressful situations, and sheds light on what it's like to live with a rare disorder.
EPISODES
"The Stain"Kevin, a 39-year-old living with PKU, shares a memory from childhood when he accidentally spilled his formula all over his grandmother's car, and even as an eight-year-old he knew that car would never be the same.
"The Box"Dave doesn't have PKU, but his best friend does and when they decided to backpack through Eastern Europe Dave got to know what traveling with a rare disorder looks like. They had to haul a lot of food and formula around but the stories they came back with made it all worth it.
"The Test"Renata, a mother of two, recalls a time when getting blood for the phe test was a battle, literally. Can all you parents out there relate to Renata's story?
"The Trip"Phoebe, a 16-year-old with PKU, and Nicole, her mother take us on a family vacation they once took to Costa Rica where some mischievous wildlife got into their formula stash! What did they learn from that sticky situation?
"The Taste"Lauren, a 28-year-old with PKU, had the ability to taste foods that are high in phe at an early age, a talent she still relies on today. Watch what happens when her talent is called into question. Do some foods taste like they have too much protein to you?
"The Conversation"Lillian finds herself faced with an awkward question that will only lead to a longer, more awkward explanation, at a work party, and of course the person posing the painful hypothetical is a known celebrity.
