He lived 17 years with a broken neck — now it’s a film

Roger Chedid prayed to die before learning he’d had an undiagnosed cervical fracture for 17 years. His story becomes the film 45 Days, due in 2027.

“I asked God to take me. I wasn’t born to live like this.” Those are the words of Roger Chedid, a former high-performance athlete whose real-life ordeal is the foundation of 45 Days, a Brazilian feature film slated for release in 2027. For nearly two decades, he carried a broken neck without knowing it — a story that sounds implausible until you hear the details.

An accident no one took seriously

The injury happened during his time as an athlete at São Paulo Futebol Clube. After an accident, emergency protocols were not followed, and the severity went unrecognized — by the medical staff and by Roger himself.

“Nobody understood how serious it was. All of us were negligent that day. Instead of immobilizing my neck the right way, they just handled it their own way,” he recalled. His highly developed cervical muscles — built over years of competitive sport — both protected him and hid the damage for years to come.

Symptoms that crept in slowly

Over time, the warning signs became impossible to ignore. Balance issues and difficulty walking grew steadily worse, compounded by the grief of losing both parents during the same period.

“After ten years, I started noticing differences in my movements, especially my balance. And it all coincided with losing my father and my mother. Everything kept getting pushed back,” he said. Even when he sought medical help, scans only showed spinal cord compression — no one identified the fracture. The correct diagnosis came only when he could barely walk.

It was a spine specialist who finally caught what others had missed, spotting it on a basic X-ray. “In the first image he saw my neck was broken. The first vertebra was loose. He said I needed surgery immediately,” Roger recounted.

Forty-five days on the edge

The film focuses on the 45 days leading up to a high-risk surgery that could either restore his life or end it. Director Walther Neto frames those weeks as a crucible of faith, fear and raw human endurance — a story that goes well beyond sports or medicine into something far more universal.

Cast and production

Paulo Vilhena plays Roger on screen, in a performance Walther Neto has already praised. “Paulo’s performance is wonderful, as is the rest of the cast. We recently filmed with Humberto Martins, who brought something truly special to the scene,” the director said.

The cast also includes Mônica Carvalho, Oscar Magrini, Rafael Cardoso, Juliana Schalch and Ricardo Macchi, with special appearances by Humberto Martins and Jackson Antunes. The film is produced by WN Produções and Marc Films, with co-production by PRH9 and associate production by Yva Filmes and Angel Produções.

Event Info

• Film: 45 Days (45 Dias)
• Director: Walther Neto
• Cast: Paulo Vilhena, Mônica Carvalho, Oscar Magrini, Rafael Cardoso, Juliana Schalch, Ricardo Macchi
• Special appearances: Humberto Martins and Jackson Antunes
• Production: WN Produções and Marc Films
• Co-production: PRH9
• Associate production: Yva Filmes and Angel Produções
• Expected release: 2027