Luke Melchior jokes that at least he doesn't have to watch his cholesterol intake. Already, at 26, he has lived longer than most people with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a progressive wasting of the muscles.

Knowing his life will be relatively short has made Luke feel an urgency about making a lasting contribution. He lives independently, with the help of three homecare workers, runs a web-based business selling outdoor gear, and chairs the board of the Disability Resource Centre in Victoria, BC, where he is a passionate advocate for the rights of the disabled.

Bearing Witness: Luke Melchior is a candid portrait of a year in Luke's life. Though his illness may set him apart, he is essentially a young man like so many others: concerned with making his way in the world, being as independent as possible and finding a girlfriend.

Bearing Witness consists of three films, each approximately one hour long, on people with life-threatening illnesses. The series also profiles Jocelyn Morton, who died of liver cancer at 44, and Robert Coley-Donohue, who died of ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease) at age 74.