Double or Nothing, a 45-minute documentary directed by Makayla Wheeler follows the epic story of Scott Johnson, a 20-year double lung transplant, cystic fibrosis survivor, who attempts the challenge of The Crossing for Cystic Fibrosis, a daring, stand up paddleboard endurance race across 80+ miles of the Atlantic Ocean in order to inspire others to give life their all.
Double Or Nothing is a powerful and uplifting documentary film about Scott Johnson, an ordinary man who has lived an extraordinary life. Scott was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a debilitating, genetic lung disease that currently has no known cure, at the age of three months old. From the beginning, Scott's life was impacted in every way by this disease as he endured ongoing lung infections, lengthy hospital stays, heavy medications, and a steadily weakening immune system. At the age of 29 years old, Scott went into the hospital weighing only 97 pounds for treatment and was told by his doctor that either he would receive a new set of lungs, or he wasn’t going to survive. What happened next is nothing short of extraordinary.
Scott did, in fact, receive a double lung transplant in the days following 9/11 and against some formidable odds, he recovered from the surgery. He promised himself when he was laying in that hospital that if he got outside again, he would live the rest of his life in an entirely forward focused, goal oriented manner.
“As I was laying there in my literal death bed I started making a list of all the things I always wanted to do in my life. The next time I’m in that literal death bed, I won’t have that anger and I won’t have those regrets because I’m using my time now to do everything that I want to do.” - Scott Johnson
It is now 20 years after Scott received his new set of lungs. During his recovery, Scott told his physical therapist he wanted to compete in a triathlon. He hasn’t stopped since.
Film director Makayla Wheeler weaves the incredible journey of Scott’s life through imagery, interviews and his inspiring story as he sets a new goal for himself that most people would believe to be impossible: to cross an ocean via paddle board as part of the annual Crossing for Cystic Fibrosis endurance paddle created by Travis Suit to benefit Piper’s Angels Foundation.
Wheeler’s attention to detail and dramatic pacing makes both Scott Johnson and Travis Suit entirely accessible to the audience through impactful interviews which reveal the underlying emotion and passion each man has for supporting the cystic fibrosis community. Travis Suit developed the Crossing as a way to show his daughter, Piper, a young girl born with cystic fibrosis, that he would go to any lengths to support this community, even paddle 80 miles from the island of Bimini to the Florida coast in order to raise awareness about the disease. Scott Johnson, after his double lung transplant, decided to spend the rest of his life showing other CF survivors the scope of what is possible. In Double or Nothing, Wheeler unveils how - in one another - each man find the motivation to take their journey one giant step further.
“The Crossing for CF is one of the most challenging endurance events in the world, physically and mentally, because you’re paddling 80 miles across the ocean.” - Travis Suit
This 45-minute documentary captures Scott Johnson’s journey through incredible hardship, his relentless gratitude and the people he meets along the way to find himself standing on a beach in Bimini with the goal of paddling 80 miles across international waters to land on the coastline at Lake Worth, Florida. All this while using someone else’s pair of lungs.
The training, the preparation, the camaraderie to get to the start line in Bimini is an extraordinary tale of courage, community and commitment. The film's depiction of the passage from the Bahamas to Lake Worth, Florida unpacks the story of two men whose lives intersect in a way to create maximum impact and build a tower of hope for the cystic fibrosis community. And, in many ways, for each of us. The film, Double or Nothing, will leave you altered. It just might change your life, or at the very least, give you a new perspective on what you believe to be impossible.
Director Makayla Wheeler has developed a unique storyline to uplift and inspire the audience in a powerful tale of resilience, gratitude and unrelenting courage. The film leaves poignant room for failure and vulnerability as a pathway to greater strength and inspiration where we find out that someone like Scott Johnson, “an ordinary man whose lived an extraordinary life” represents the hero's journey within each one of us. We just have to show up and try.
WATCH the FULL FILM HERE: DOUBLE or NOTHING
Special Screening before the 2024 Carolina Cup: Friday, April 26, 2024 in Wilmington, NC.
Double or Nothing is now available online and is also being screened across the United States in theaters at exclusive events. The next public viewing of this extraordinary film will be Friday, April 26, 2024 in Wilmington, North Carolina @6:30PM the evening before the 2024 Carolina Cup.
Tickets for that event can be purchased here:
Double or Nothing in Wilmington, NC
Don't miss this incredible opportunity to view the film with director Makayla Wheeler, Scott Johnson and Travis Suit in person. Stay after the screening for a live Q&A with Scott following the film.
