Jerry Lewis looked so much better this year hosting the telethon. Last year he made me nervous. He looked so old and frail. But this year, at 85, the man was vibrant and bright-eyed. He looked healthy and relaxed.
He sat through the majority of his on-air time, and I'm OK with that.
I thought the program was slick this year. Last year it felt disjointed and as short of breath and health as Jerry seemed. But this time around it looked fresh and polished. The talent was top-notch, and the information was encouraging.
As I wrote last year, the cure is close. Scientists have identified so many genes that have led to clinical trials and then to actual therapies that have slowed the degenerative progression of many of the neuro-muscular diseases under the Muscular Dystrophy umbrella. There's still a long way to go. But there continues to be hope.
Abbey Umali is 10 years old and in her third year as National Goodwill Ambassador. She suffers from Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, in the form of congenital hypomyelinating neuropathy. It attacks her coordination and balance, and causes muscle weakness.
Last year I told you that she did a read-a-thon to raise money for MDA. She read 35 books and raised about $5,000. This year, she introduced the opening act for the telethon. And this past summer, she read 50 books and raised more than $20,000! That was the first total on the big national tote board in Las Vegas.
She's an inspiration. She's not a victim. She's an advocate...she's her own advocate and an advocate for others afflicted with these diseases.
It still bugs me that I don't get to watch the entire program, although I have made my peace. From 9am to 5pm on Labor Day, I get enough of the program to see some great talent and catch up on any important research and clinical breakthroughs I might have missed throughout the year.
If you haven't yet, you can still donate by going to the MDA website. You can also click on the the MDA button on my sidebar throughout the year to get information and perhaps toss over a few extra dollars.
I have said this in the past. Americans can be cynical. Americans can be self-righteous. Americans can be loud, obnoxious, and stubborn.
Americans are also generous.
As the economy continues to sputter, Americans still dug deep and contributed $58,919,838. Last year's total was $60,481,231, well down from the 2008 total of more than $65m.
The International Association of Firefighters collected $27.8m, mainly from their Fill the Boot campaigns.
Other corporate sponsers such as Safeway ($11.0m), Lowes ($5.4m), and others added millions more. All of that money goes to make sure that the research continues, and that comprehensive health care provides whatever is necessary to improve the quality of life for MDA patients and their families.
Jerry Lewis has championed this cause for 60 years, 45 years on television with the annual Labor Day telethon. The first telethon in 1966 raised $1 million. To date, Jerry has raised more nearly $3.0 billion from private donations.
Please give till it helps.
