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Asian American Film Fest screens story of sisters who overcame odds

Print | Comments () Posted by Jeremy C. Fox December 7, 2011 02:25 PM

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By Jeremy C. Fox, Town Correspondent

The Boston Asian American Film Festival will host a free screening Thursday of a film about twin sisters who survived a deadly disease.

Anabel Stenzel and Isabel Stenzel Byrnes are identical twins born in California to Japanese and German immigrant parents. At just three days old, both were diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that attacks the lungs and pancreas and usually kills its sufferers at a young age.

Doctors told the twins’ parents they would be lucky to reach the age of 10; next year they will turn 40.

“The Power of Two” is a documentary about the Stenzel sisters based on a 2007 memoir recounting their struggles, survival through double lung transplants, and successes as athletes and advocates for organ donation. The sisters will be present after the screening for questions from the audience.

The screening will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 8, at the Arthur M. Sackler Center for Medical Education, 145 Harrison Ave. Attendance is free, but viewers must register at http://www.baaff.org/ before noon on Thursday to access the building.

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