Houston Couple Named to Lead ALS Division;
May Is Awareness Month
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Reda
and Chris Rice |
For 13 years, the nation has observed May as ALS Awareness Month.
To mark the occasion this year, MDA is issuing a new series of video
and print public service announcements featuring the recently named
co-chairpersons of MDAs ALS Division, Christopher and Reda Rice of
Houston.
Chris Rice, 39, an information technology manager, received a diagnosis
of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrigs disease) in
2001. He and Reda have three children. The couple, who appeared on
the national broadcast of the 2003 MDA Jerry Lewis Telethon, is helping
to raise awareness of MDAs leading efforts in the fight against ALS.
During May, MDA will also emphasize media coverage of ALS, hold educational
seminars about the disease in several communities, issue new press
materials and send ALS-specific appeals through the mail.
Go to www.als-mda.org for more information about the Rices and MDAs ALS Division.
MDA Completes Video on Heel Cord Surgery
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Surgeon Irwin Siegel appears in a new MDA video. |
MDA has produced a new 40-minute informational video on heel cord
release surgery.
The video, "Standing and Walking Are Gifts," is geared
for families considering the surgery for their children with neuromuscular
diseases. The surgery, which cuts the Achilles tendons to keep the
feet straight, often extends the ability to stand and walk.
Featuring orthopedic surgeon Irwin Siegel, who is co-director of
the MDA clinic at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Lukes Medical Center in Chicago,
the video is designed to help families decide if the surgery is right
for their kids and to prepare for it. The video is available on loan
from local MDA offices.
MDA Board Names 3 VPs
Three new national vice presidents were elected by the MDA Board
of Directors in March.
They are: renowned national broadcaster Larry King, Cincinnati psychiatrist
Jonathan Small and New York realty executive Lennard Katz. MDA vice
presidents provide counsel in their areas of expertise and assist
the Association through advocacy and program support.
Art Collection Honors IAFF-MDA Anniversary
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Morgan Fritz with her contribution to the MDA Art Collection
|
The MDA Art Collection has added two pieces in celebration of the
50-year partnership between MDA and the International Association
of Fire Fighters.
Morgan Fritz, 5, MDAs Goodwill Ambassador for Missouri, contributed
"50 Years of Caring," a crayon-and-pencil sketch she created
with help from her father, Ron, a fire fighter and paramedic and a
member of IAFF Local 2665.
"Brave Men & Women" by Troy, Mich., artist Jack MacColeman
is an acrylic painting depicting fire fighter bravery.
The IAFF is MDAs largest sponsor. For more about the golden anniversary,
see "IAFF, MDA Celebrate."
Matties Heartsongs Gala Another Success
The second annual Heartsongs Gala in the Washington-Baltimore area
was another big hit. Hosted by MDA National Goodwill Ambassador Mattie
J.T. Stepanek on Feb. 21, the event (named after Matties best-selling
Heartsongs poetry series) raised an outstanding $170,000 for MDA research
and services.
Honorary chairpersons of the black-tie event included President George
W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush, Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich Jr., U.S.
senators and congressional leaders, as well as President Jimmy Carter
and Mrs. Rosalyn Carter, who are close friends of Matties.
The evening honored TV personality Larry King and Ron Hemelgarn,
president of Hemelgarn Racing. Mattie presented them with Heartsongs
Awards, recognizing their longstanding support of MDA.
Entertainment was provided by recording artists Christopher Cross
and MDA National Youth Chairman Billy Gilman, who sang a song based
on Matties poem "Shades of Life."
San Diego Meeting Probes Muscle Biology
In January, MDA sponsored New Directions in Biology and Disease of
Skeletal Muscle, a three-day workshop in San Diego, where muscle biology
experts gathered to compare notes.
The meeting focused particularly on advances in understanding myotonic
muscular dystrophy, Emery-Dreifuss MD and facioscapulohumeral MD.
Wrigglesworth Named Ms. Wheelchair Texas
Angela Wrigglesworth of Houston is one of the most "able"
people associated with MDA. A member of MDAs National Task Force
on Public Awareness, Wrigglesworth has been crowned Ms. Wheelchair
Texas.
A third-grade teacher, Wrigglesworth, 26, has held many leadership
roles with MDA beginning in her childhood. Shes the author of "From
Where I Sit, A Day in the Life," published in the November-December
issue of Quest.
In her new position, Wrigglesworth travels the state creating awareness
of people with special needs through speaking engagements, personal
appearances and interviews. Shell compete for the title of Ms. Wheelchair
America in July in Richmond, Va.
Meet Jon Bloom
