Latest news with #ThePolGFoundationFilm
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Director opens up on ‘painful' experience of working with Luxembourg's Prince Frederik before his death
Director Mei Fa Tan spoke out about her experience working with the son of Prince Robert of Luxembourg and Princess Julie of Nassau, Prince Frederik, after he died last week at the age of 22. Frederik tragically died of POLG Mitochondrial disease, a rare disorder he was diagnosed with eight years ago. His death was announced by his dad Robert on March 7 in a lengthy message online. With tributes to the late royal pouring in, Tan spoke to Us Weekly about the time she spent working with Frederik. '[He was] so interested in so many topics. He would love to talk about basically anything,' she told the outlet. 'Mostly film and music…But his body would not allow him to do as much. So that was really painful to watch because he was trying his best.' In Robert's heartbreaking message about his son's death, he opened up about Frederik's diagnosis and explained that its symptoms aren't easy to detect from an early age. He wrote: 'Frederik was diagnosed with POLG at the age of 14, when his symptoms were showing more clearly and when the progression of his disease had become more acute. 'Because POLG disease causes such a wide range of symptoms and affects so many different organ systems, it is very difficult to diagnose and has no treatments, much less a cure.' POLG Mitochondrial disease is described as 'a genetic disorder that robs the body's cells of energy, in turn causing progressive multiple organ dysfunction and failure' on the POLG Foundation website. The condition is very 'uncommon' and the symptoms, which are hard to spot, include liver failure, muscle weakness, and epilepsy. As a young person with POLG Mitochondrial, Frederik sought to raise awareness by creating an official foundation, encouraging new research and widespread fundraising efforts. Robert's statement went on to describe Frederik's unwavering positivity and commitment to happily living each day without letting the disease control more of his life. Tan met Frederick when she was commissioned to direct the foundation's short film, The PolG Foundation Film. 'This is the battle that Frederik fought, and this is the burden that he had to carry throughout his life. He always did so with grace and with humour,' Robert wrote. 'When we asked him if he wanted to create a foundation to find a cure and help others like him, he jumped at the opportunity. 'Though he always made it very clear that he did not want this dreadful disease to define him, he nonetheless immediately identified with and helped define the mission of The POLG Foundation.' Frederik was able to star in the organization's first production, The PolG Foundation Film, before he died, for scenes of him watching his own childhood videos. 'When you're a kid, you've got all these dreams, all these aspirations, these things you want to do. The possibilities are endless,' he said in the film's voiceover. 'I'm not sure I understood all the consequences of PolG when I first got diagnosed. It's more subtle, where slowly, the world is getting smaller and smaller.'
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Luxembourg's Prince Frederik Opened Up About ‘Devastating' Rare Disease Before His Death at 22
Luxembourg's Prince Frederik starred in a short film which detailed his 'devastating' experience with a rare disease prior to his death. Frederik was born with PolG Mitochondrial disease, an incurable genetic disorder that causes organ dysfunction and failure. Frederik's father, Prince Robert, announced his son's death at the age of 22 via Instagram on Saturday, March 8. 'It is with a very heavy heart that my wife and I would like to inform you of the passing of our son, The POLG Foundation Founder and Creative Director, Frederik,' Robert wrote. 'Frederik knows that he is my Superhero, as he is to all of our family, and to so very many good friends and now in great part thanks to his POLG Foundation, to so very many people the world over,' he added. Luxembourg's Prince Frederik Dead at 22 After Battling Rare Disease Prior to his death, Frederik and his parents co-founded The POLG Foundation three years ago, 'to support and accelerate research to find effective treatments and a cure for PolG mitochondrial disorders,' the website states. More recently, the foundation created a short film, titled The PolG Foundation Film, released on September 4, 2024, for Mitochondrial Awareness Week. 'PolG is a mitochondrial disease destroying the energy-producing structures within human cells,' a written statement reads at the start of the film. 'It is a devastating and rare genetic disorder potentially affecting entire families.' The film opens with Frederik watching a compilation of videos from his childhood. 'When you're a kid, you've got all these dreams, all these aspirations, these things you want to do. The possibilities are endless,' Frederik says in voice-over. 'I'm not sure I understood all the consequences of PolG when I first got diagnosed. It's more subtle, where slowly, the world is getting smaller and smaller.' Celebrity Deaths of 2025: Aubrey Plaza's Husband Jeff Baena and More Stars We've Lost This Year The film then turned to Emilia and Amelie, two siblings who were diagnosed with PolG. They lost their brother, Philip, to the same disease, in May 2023. He was 20. 'Even to this day, doctors aren't familiar with PolG, and so it makes it really hard to get a proper diagnosis,' Carolyn Sue, a researcher at Neuroscience Research Australia, saYS in another part of the film. The film ended with a powerful statement asking for donations. 'For these PolG kids, it's already too late,' the statement said. 'Today, there is no cure.' 'PolG research will save lives. Please donate,' it included, alongside a QR code for the foundation's donation page. Us Weekly reached out to The POLG Foundation for comment.
