Five Feet Apart
Five Feet Apart is a film about two young people with cystic fibrosis (CF) who fall in love but must stay separated because of cross-infection. The film has introduced millions of people around the world to CF, but it’s a work of fiction, with many dramatised aspects. Cystic Fibrosis Trust was not involved in the making of this film. Warning: this page contains spoilers.
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What is Five Feet Apart about?
Five Feet Apart is a 2019 American film starring Cole Sprouse and Haley Lu Richardson as two young people with CF who fall in love but must stay separated because of cross-infection risks.
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What disease do the characters have?
The characters have cystic fibrosis (CF), a genetic condition that affects the lungs and digestive system. CF causes the body to produce thick, sticky mucus, which builds up in the lungs, digestive system, and other organs. This can result in chronic infections and inflammation in the lungs, and difficulty digesting food.
CF is a genetic condition affecting over 11,000 people in the UK. You are born with CF and cannot catch it later in life, but one in 25 of us carries the faulty gene that causes it, usually without knowing.
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Why can't people with cystic fibrosis be together?
People with CF can’t meet one another due to cross-infection.
People with CF are vulnerable to different bacteria, or 'bugs'. While these bugs are usually harmless to people who don't have CF, they can settle in the lungs and be harmful for those who do. These bugs can be easily transmitted from one person with CF to another.
Meeting indoors, travelling with other people with CF, or spending time with them socially has a high level of risk. The risk of cross-infection increases the longer people with CF are in close proximity to one another.
In the UK, the advice is that people with CF should not meet face to face because bacteria can spread even when people are several metres apart.
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How do people with CF connect with one another?
Like in the film, people with CF use social media and video chatting to connect with one another without meeting face to face.
We also run several programmes to help people with CF connect and support each other.
Our online community is a safe space for people affected by CF to seek information, access support, and chat with others who know what they’re going through.
We have a peer support service for parents of children with CF. CF Connect puts parents in touch with a trained volunteer who also has a child with CF and who they can talk to in confidence.
We run free online events, workshops, and activities for 6–14-year-olds with cystic fibrosis (CF) or with a close family member with the condition through our youth programme.
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Is Five Feet Apart based on a true story?
Five Feet Apart is not based on a true story but was inspired by the CF community. It’s important to remember that it is a work of fiction and everyone with CF experiences it differently.
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How accurate is Five Feet Apart?
As Five Feet Apart is a work of fiction, it only portrays a few limited experiences of CF, which may be dramatised for the story. It’s also set in the USA, so a lot of the issues raised in the film might not realistically represent the experiences of people with CF or might not give the full story of CF in the UK.
Cross-infection
The film refers to the US 'six-foot rule', which was used to help reduce the risk of cross-infection in healthcare settings. In the UK, the advice is that people with cystic fibrosis should not meet face to face at all, because bacteria can still spread even if people are several metres apart, particularly indoors or over longer periods of time. Learn more about cross-infection.
Treatments
Not everyone will experience CF in the same way as the characters in the film. People with CF experience the condition in lots of different ways. Some people with CF have to take lots of medicine, follow a high-calorie diet, or go into hospital regularly, but everyone’s treatment regimen is different.
The characters in the film use treatments like oxygen tanks and feeding tubes, but this isn’t the case for everyone with CF. CF is often an invisible condition.
The film also talks about the possibility of transplant. Some people with CF may need a transplant if standard treatments are no longer working as well as they should. Learn more about transplants.
The film is also set in the USA, so treatments may be different than in the UK.
Clinical trials
The drug Will is trialling in the film is fictional, but there are real life-changing drugs being developed right now. Learn more about clinical trials.
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Support if you’ve been affected by the issues raised in the film
Our Helpline
Our Helpline provides information, support, and a listening ear to anyone affected by cystic fibrosis.
Call 0300 373 1000 or 020 3795 2184, Monday–Friday 10am–4pm
Email [email protected]
Chat with us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram
Message us on WhatsApp on 07361 582053 -
I’ve seen the film and want to help
If Five Feet Apart has inspired you to learn more about cystic fibrosis, there are lots of ways you can make a difference. Every day, we're working towards a future where everyone with CF can live longer, healthier lives – but there's still much more to do.
Together, we can fund vital research, provide practical support, and help make sure everyone with CF can live a life without limits.
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Oli and Mahi’s story
Oli and Mahi met on a dating app and got talking. The catch? They found out that they both had cystic fibrosis. Knowing that they could never meet, they remained 'virtual' friends. Hear from them about what it's really like to date when you have a life-limiting condition.
CF in film and TV
Films and TV programmes featuring cystic fibrosis (CF) can help raise vital awareness of the condition – but because these stories are created for entertainment, they don't always show the full picture.
What is CF?
Cystic fibrosis, or CF, affects the lungs, digestive system, and other organs. There are over 11,000 people living with it in the UK.
Donate now
Every penny donated helps create a brighter future for people with cystic fibrosis, by funding support, research, or other vital work.