Category: News and Views
Empire State Building Shines for MDA
The Empire State Building image ® is a registered trademark of ESBC and is used with permission.
In recognition of the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon this Labor Day weekend, New York City's Empire State Building will put on a special lighting display Sept. 5.
The upper levels of the building will be bathed in alternating blue and white lights from sunset until 2 a.m. Sept. 6.
Recognition for MDA is part of the building’s “Lighting Partner” program that helps promote the activities of charitable organizations throughout the year.
“We’re pleased the Empire State Building is again signaling the importance of MDA’s lifesaving mission to millions of New York City residents,” Gerald C. Weinberg, MDA President & CEO, said. “Our Telethon tradition started in Manhattan, so it’s especially meaningful for the Empire State Building to be dressed in MDA blue and white for the weekend of our 21½-hour broadcast that’s expected to be watched by more than 40 million Americans.”
The 2010 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon will be televised live on WWOR-TV My9 from Metropolis Studio in New York, beginning Sunday, Sept. 5 at 9 p.m. EDT.
A representative came to our house from the MDA when we were teenagers. I had a brother with Dushaines I think they call it, Muscular Dystrphe damn I suck at writing medical terms some other 'blindies can't spell' board will pick on this:
Anyway aside from this disease, for which I was responsible to care for him, he was also mentally challenged. My parents being who they were didn't get him checked and stuff so I don't exactly know how or why. But basically he could understand a lot of stuff of course, but advanced concepts you get from writing and reding were kinda out of his league.
Well this rep came and promised him a new electric wheelchair with which he could really scoot. He was in a manual wheelchair that was really old with no padding to really speak of. When I first saw what most people use for a manual I was shocked at what he was missin'. Anyway, Turdwad rep never came back, the phone number my parents got rang and rang with no answer.
Anybody remember Flowers for Algernon? Remember the After, where he's got a glimpse of what life could be then returns to what was? well Charlie in the book had it better than my bro. Better he'd never been told any of this stuff to begin with.
I know, this is all hearsay, I have no direct evidence of any of this, but it's bad. By that point he was in what some of you all say as 'latter stages' basically pretty crumpled up and wasn't gonna make it but a few years more. Was that it? Not really one for the show? Not something for the inspirational world-changin' types to flam and flash around?
Better for the rep to have never shown his ugly mug, and I for one am glad I'm blind so I didn't have to see it.
Hope this isn't common. Some things it'd be nice to know you're the only situation. However, I somehow doubt it.
I only hear about this organization but once every blue moon / few years but it's perfect example of how the system really works: it's a show, like pretty much any inspirational type stuff, it's a marketing gig.
As I said he had mental challenges too so understanding the concept of it's all a scam, which of course we brothers tried albeit we were ignorant youth and just taking a stab at it, didn't really help of course. Anyone would feel pretty bad being led on like that, but I've never been confined to an old wheelchair with a seat consisting of a sheet of canvas across metal bars - no plushy stuff like I have seen since my twenties in manual chairs. So naturally I couldn't possibly know the level of effect that would have had. Pretty damn bad though.
All we could offer at the time was the solemn brotherly oath if we saw the guy we'd kick his ass for him.
The real lesson is this: Lots of shows, lots of movies made about inspirational stories, this isn't the only incident to which I have been either a observer or participant but I ain't going into a boo hoo fest here. But note, boys and girls, what you see there on TV glitters for ya because most people like something shiny: many animals do. But said shininess doesn't really make it valid. It's like them weirdos who try and get you to tell them what it is you wanta hear, then retell the same thing to you, convince you they made it up, then charge you $100 / hour for the service. Both are great areas of work for people with no follow-through.
ah, when you said MDA, i thought you meant something else.
but thanks for the artickle anyway
I'm not gonna say I don't believe you and I'm not gonna say I believe you either I have friends who have MD and they weren't screwed over like your brother was. that's a damn shame.