DENVER COUPLE TO CO-CHAIR MDA’S ALS DIVISION

TUCSON, Ariz., Nov. 20, 2002 — Steven and Jennifer Bishop of Arvada, Colo., have

Steven & Jennifer Bishop To download for publication, please click on the photo.

accepted an invitation to serve as co-chairpersons of the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s ALS Division.

The couple will help raise awareness of MDA’s leadership of the battle against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease) through public appearances, speaking engagements and videotaped public service announcements.

ALS destroys the nerve cells controlling muscles in healthy adults, ultimately causing complete paralysis while leaving mental function intact. Survival is typically two to five years after diagnosis, and no cure exists.

Steven Bishop, 37, received a diagnosis of ALS in March 2001, and is still ambulatory.The Bishops, who have a 4-year-old son, Christopher, will relate their personal experience with the devastating disease, and speak about the vital help and information they’ve found through an MDA support group.

As co-chairpersons, the Bishops hope their efforts will help stimulate more support of MDA’s scientific search for a cure for ALS, as well as help others cope with the disease’s many challenges.

“We’re truly honored, and see this as our new life mission,” Steven Bishop said. “It’s our goal to make Americans as familiar with ALS as they are with diseases like Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s.”

MDA National Chairman Jerry Lewis said he’s amazed by the couple’s remarkable courage and positive outlook. Lewis met the Bishop family in Los Angeles at the broadcast of the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon in September, during which they were subjects of a taped family profile and a live interview.

“These wonderful people will eloquently convey the urgency of MDA’s mission to find a cure for ALS, and highlight the valuable services MDA provides,” Lewis said. “I have faith that they’ll not only meet their goals of educating our nation about the importance of curing ALS, but also make their way into the hearts of everyone they meet.”

MDA has been vitally active in ALS research and services for more than 50 years, and has invested more than $135 million in its ALS program to date, thanks to donations from the American public.

MDA’s ALS program includes grants to leading researchers worldwide, and medical care at some 230 hospital-affiliated MDA clinics and 29 MDA/ALS research and clinical centers across the country.

MDA also assists people with ALS through help with purchase and repair of wheelchairs, purchase of augmentative alternative communication devices, support groups, expert-led seminars, an ALS Web site (www.als-mda.org) and ALS-specific chat rooms (www.mda.org/chat).

ALS is one of more than 40 neuromuscular diseases covered by MDA. The Association's programs are funded almost entirely by individual private contributors. .