CHICAGO WRITER ELECTED
TO MDA NATIONAL LEADERSHIP

TUCSON, Ariz., Dec. 6, 2002 — A prominent Chicago writer has been elected to serve as a national vice president of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Asa Baber, 66, was elected to a one-year term as a volunteer leader of the national health organization during a recent meeting of the Association's Board of Directors in New York. MDA vice presidents provide counsel in their areas of expertise and assist the Association through advocacy and staunch support of its lifesaving programs and activities.

Since 1982, Baber has been a contributing editor for Playboy magazine, writing the magazine's "Men" column. Baber has also published two books and numerous short stories.

In September 2001, Baber received a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease). 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.

In the June issue of Playboy, Baber wrote about sharing a birthday with Lou Gehrig, as well as the disease that claimed the life of the legendary New York Yankee. A videotaped segment of Baber reading excerpts from the column, called "Lou Gehrig and Me," aired during the national broadcast of the 2002 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon.

MDA has been the world leader in ALS research and services for more than 50 years, going back to the days when Eleanor Gehrig served as MDA national campaign chairperson. MDA's ALS Division has invested more than $135 million in ALS research and services, and maintains 29 MDA/ALS clinical and research centers across the country.

"MDA is privileged to benefit from Asa Baber's skill and dedication," MDA President & CEO Robert Ross said. "His commitment to the Association's mission strengthens our effort to defeat ALS and other neuromuscular diseases."

MDA is working to defeat more than 40 neuromuscular diseases through programs of worldwide research, comprehensive services, and far-reaching professional and public health education. MDA maintains 29 major ALS centers and 230 clinics nationwide, including clinics at Evanston Hospital, Rush-Presbyterian, Northwestern Memorial Hospital and the University of Chicago Hospitals in Chicago, where it also maintains an MDA/ALS center.

The Association's programs are funded almost entirely by individual private contributors.