“Trapped” is the reimagining of real patient Beth’s story using stop-motion animation. Prior to being diagnosed, Beth’s NTM trapped her in an endless cycle that took a toll on her personal and professional life. She felt like she couldn’t break free from the disease’s devastating symptoms, which included coughing constantly and feeling fatigued and feverish.

The film starts with Beth waking up in bed. As she sits up, you see that she is trapped in a monstrous contraption with various attachments, representing NTM’s many repetitive symptoms. As the film continues, you see how exhausted Beth is from dealing with this contraption throughout her commute and time at work. It interrupts her daily activities and weighs on her both physically and mentally. The film ends with the same introductory sequence, illustrating the repetitive cycle NTM patients suffer through. The closing frames show the quote from Beth that inspired the animation.

With physicians misunderstanding their patients’ complaints for years, we knew that a patient simply telling her story wasn’t going to make an impact. Instead, we employed the art of storytelling to deliver a breakthrough campaign to get doctors’ attention.

In order to bring Beth’s NTM diagnosis journey to life, we used stop-motion animation. Without dialogue, we needed the animation style to carry the story and the emotion for the film. The whole film is imbued with melancholy from the color palette, uninspiring environments, and awkward social interactions, representing how sad and uncomfortable Beth’s undiagnosed NTM makes her. The stop-motion style allowed us to work with different textures and materials to give the film a human, handmade feel. Making the characters with felt brought a softness and vulnerability to them, which helps the viewer relate more and empathize with Beth’s struggles.

According to the US Federal Trade Commission, advertisements must be truthful, cannot be deceptive or unfair, and must be evidence-based. In addition, the Food and Drug Administration advises that disease-related advertisements/communications be disease or health condition-specific, enhance education, be clear and accurate, and contain a responsible public health message.

This campaign targets pulmonologists and infectious disease specialists—the HCPs who diagnose, treat, and manage patients with NTM lung disease. Far too often, these physicians don’t include NTM in their differential diagnosis nor prioritize the treatment of this progressive rare disease, leaving patients suffering for years without answers or reprieve.