Isabelle Carnell-Holdaway, 17, has faced not one but two unrelenting threats to her life. Diagnosed at 11 months of age with cystic fibrosis, the progressive genetic disease that causes lung infections and breathing impairment, Isabelle has also combated an on-again, off-again infection caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria since age 8.
The dying teen/young-adult romance is such a familiar Hollywood genre that websites can devote lists to it. So "Five Feet Apart" -- an earnest story about two teens afflicted with cystic fibrosis -- must be viewed within that context, which offers a solid showcase for its young leads, Haley Lu Richardson and Cole Sprouse, while laboring to flesh out a complete movie.
Cystic fibrosis did not define Claire Wineland. She did.
