Hallmark Director on Drug That 'Saved My Life' & Fight for a Cure [EXCLUSIVE] (2024)

Hallmark Director on Drug That 'Saved My Life' & Fight for a Cure [EXCLUSIVE] (1)

Hallmark/HeavyHallmark director seeks cure.

Director Maxwell McGuire’s latest Hallmark film, “Falling Like Snowflakes,” premiered this summer as part of the network’s Christmas in July 2024 event. His January 2024 movie, “Romance with a Twist,” broke records for Hallmark with 1.85 million live viewers, making it the network’s most-watched movie that month. And he’s already working on a new project for the network. But with all his success, McGuire is also very open about his struggles with cystic fibrosis — a once-terminal illness that now has a longer life expectancy thanks to advances in medicine.

Today, McGuire is thankful for a “miracle drug” that saved his life, and he’s on a mission to raise money for a cure. The deadline to donate to his fundraiser is August 15.

When McGuire was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at two-years-old, children were only expected to live until they were 13, he wrote in Ottawa Citizen. But thanks to medical advances, he’s doing well today. He told Heavy that while the new medication he’s on “saved my life,” there’s still a desperate need for a cure.

Maxwell McGuire

@maxwellmcguire·Follow

McGuire’s Health Improved Dramatically Thanks to a New Medication

In a column for Ottawa Citizen published in 2015, McGuire shared a humbling revelation. Out of about a dozen children that he and his sister (who also has cystic fibrosis) had shared hospital rooms with growing up, they were the only ones still alive.

Cystic fibrosis is a genetic condition where a faulty protein causes mucus to become thick and sticky, blocking and damaging organs, according to NIH. While cystic fibrosis once commonly caused childhood deaths, life expectancy is much longer today thanks to medical breakthroughs.

Back in 2012, McGuire told The Georgia Straight that he had already lost 20% of his lung function and he was losing about one to two percent every few months.

But now, things are very different thanks to a new medication, he told Heavy.

“I’ve been on Trikafta for three years, a drug that raised my lung function from 69% efficiency to 91% almost overnight,” he shared. “I’ve breathed air into areas of my lungs that never thought existed! Doctors believe that we will maintain this new function, and that how we feel today might be how we feel for a very long time, which is great. It also comes with new things to think about… When I was young and our prognosis wasn’t as rosy, I never thought about saving for retirement… But it’s a welcome challenge I look forward to figuring out like all my healthy friends!”

Even With a Miracle Drug, Cystic Fibrosis Still Has Serious Complications & a Cure Is Desperately Needed

Despite this miracle drug, the medication still comes with strong side effects, McGuire said, and serious complications from cystic fibrosis continue to exist. The need for a cure remains.

“As for why there’s more to be done, and why we’re fundraising after the breakthroughs that have saved our lives — the fact remains it’s not a cure,” he told Heavy. “Living longer with CF comes with more challenges, as lungs aren’t the only organ affected. Our livers, pancreas and kidneys have taken a lifetime of abuse from medicines that keep us alive. Cystic fibrosis related diabetes is a challenge that complicates life with CF and infections. The drug that saved my life is also hard on our systems, and we are more prone to cancers than others. So we continue to raise money to help the next generation of kids being born with CF now.”

He’s Raising Money for Cystic Fibrosis Canada & the Deadline is August 15

McGuire has done a lot to raise awareness and funds for treating cystic fibrosis. On July 15, he shared that he’s raising money for Cystic Fibrosis Canada via a fundraiser called Lawn Summer Nights.

According to his fundraising page, he’s reached his $3,000 goal, but donations are still being accepted. He told Heavy the deadline is August 15.

“Living with cystic fibrosis is a daily reminder that life is precious,” he told Heavy. “Though I wish my friends and family never had to suffer from the effects of the illness, I’m lucky to have been born in the era I was, as I’ve benefited from all the fundraising others have done. I hope to contribute to CF standing for CURE FOUND instead of Cystic Fibrosis.”

Cystic Fibrosis Canada was founded more than 60 years ago by parents whose children have cystic fibrosis, according to the Lawn Summer Nights website. CF Canada helps fund research into advancements in treatment, including the discovery of a gene that causes the disease.

“The Canadian CF organization and others like it worldwide are responsible for fundraising for CF, and are directly involved in research that has lead to breakthroughs including science that contributed to Trikafta, a drug that is saving lives,” McGuire told Heavy.

McGuire Hinted About New Hallmark Movies in the Future

While he’s fundraising, McGuire is hard at work on his movies too. He gave Heavy a hint about two Hallmark movies he’s recently worked on.

“I just shot two movies of a series of four, where the main characters are all friends in each other’s movies!” he said. “I can’t say much more, but look out for a series of Christmas movies this coming fall!”

McGuire also directed “Foreverland,” a 2012 movie about a man with cystic fibrosis searching for a miracle. The movie raised more than $250,000, according to his website. He told The Georgia Straight in a 2012 interview that the movie was inspired after he was forced to face his own mortality in 2005, when he learned that he had lost 20% of his lung function. He faced the reality with a dark sense of humor, which his character in “Foreverland” also shared.

READ NEXT: ‘When Calls the Heart’ Stars Mourn Death of Colleague: ‘Gift to Humanity’

Now Test Your Knowledge

var VUUKLE_CONFIG = {apiKey: "6ff6a1d2-d34b-462f-bf11-c86cae0e6821",};// DON'T EDIT BELOW THIS LINE(function() {var d = document,s = d.createElement('script');s.src = 'https://cdn.vuukle.com/platform.js';(d.head || d.body).appendChild(s);})();

More Heavy on Hallmark News

Loading more stories

More Heavy on Hallmark News ↓