Cherry Healey: Old Before My Time.
Cherry Healey has become a TV Journalist that’s opened the door on some scary and hard-hitting subjects. Her latest – Old Before My Time – could well be the biggest whack yet. A three part series that investigates the effects of alcohol, drugs and obesity have on the younger generation.
The first episode that explores the health problems that heavy drinking can have on the human body is shocking. With Cherry visiting hospitals, speaking to experts, watching operations and being a fly on the wall in A&E, she shines a light on how disastrous it can be to not take your drinking seriously. The programme features a 21 year old who fell into an alcohol-induced coma and ended up having to have a liver transplant because he’d damaged his beyond repair. There’s another 21 year old who has pancreatitis twice but continues to drink, choosing having fun with his mates around time over his long-term health.
The most shocking undertone to this whole episode is how normal everyone is, just like your housemate, your brother, your best friend, you… Just the simple message that we all have a tendency to live in the ‘now’ and ignore repercussions will hit many a raw nerve.
The second episode about drug abuse is equally as shocking. A man that at 16 years old had done so much damaged to his body through using ketamine he had to have his bladder removed. Now at 23 years old he has to clean out his new bladder (made from his bowel), can no longer play sports and has to have his kidneys tested every few months and is now at risk from kidney failure and kidney cancer. His life is hugely damaged just because he pushed the boundaries of ‘fun’.
Naivety and the ease of becoming involved in something that can ruin your life is so prevalent in this documentary, probably one of the most frank yet not patronising I’ve seen to date.
The next episode features young people that are now faced with seriously shortened life spans through over eating, eating the wrong stuff and not doing any physical exercise – such a common mistake in student life. It’s really common to pack on a few pounds through your Uni years, maybe it’s a good idea to tune in to Cherry’s next programme on BBC3 on 4th
November.
You can watch the other two on iPlayer – prepared for your eyes to widen to the max…
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