Seeing Perseverance through a New Lens

Rare Daily Staff

The short film Ho’omao tells the story of Joey, a retired firefighter and law enforcement officer from Virginia living with the rare condition chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIPD), a rare and serious disease of the peripheral nervous system.

While many patient videos focus on capturing people with rare diseases in their day-to-day lives and chronicling their symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment, Ho’omao centers on an individual transcending his condition and doing things he no longer thought possible.

Released in late 2025, the film follows Joey as he travels across Hawaii’s Big Island with National Geographic photographer and filmmaker Josh Cogan. Through sweeping aerial imagery and underwater encounters with manta rays, it blends National Geographic’s cinematic style with an intimate portrait of life after diagnosis. Ho’omao means “to persevere” in Hawaiian.

The film has already reached 2 million views on YouTube and ranks among the top 15 percent of all Hulu titles. It was created by National Geographic Creative Works through a paid partnership with the drug company Argenx.

People with CIDP experience fatigue, muscle weakness, and a loss of feeling in their arms and legs that can worsen over time or appear in cycles. These symptoms can significantly impair daily function. Without treatment, one-third of people living with CIDP will need a wheelchair.

“We wanted to showcase chronic illness not through a medical lens, but through the human lens of Joey’s story — one rooted in resilience and motion,” said Cristian Azcarate, U.S. general manager at Argenx.

Cogan not only directed the film but also appears in it as narrator and guide, grounding the story in shared human experience. “By keeping Josh on screen, we acknowledged that perseverance doesn’t happen in isolation,” Azcarate said. “It’s witnessed and celebrated by those who walk alongside you.”

One of the film’s most moving scenes shows Joey viewing sea turtles in the ocean. He has a tattoo of a turtle on his leg — a symbol of patience and endurance within the CIDP community.

For Azcarate, that moment captured the essence of the project. “It was a beautiful reflection of perseverance coming full circle,” he said.

“Our mission starts with a question,” Azcarate added. “What do people living with CIDP need from us emotionally, socially, and practically that they’re not getting today? Ho’omao is one way we answer that — by helping patients see themselves and their strength reflected back through story.”

You can view the film here.