Jerry Lewis Telethon Nets Record $60.5M

Yahoo! News ^ | 9.1.03

[mhking]

LOS ANGELES - The Jerry (news - web sites) Lewis (news) Labor Day Telethon to raise funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association received a record $60.5 million in nationwide pledges, a telethon spokeswoman said Monday.

AP Photo

The 77-year-old Lewis, his body bloated due to steroid medication he takes for pulmonary fibrosis, was assisted during the 21 1/2-hour fund-raiser by Ed McMahon (news) and performances from a number of entertainers, including Cher, Celine Dion (news) and Don Rickles (news).

"I'm consistently humbled by the generosity of the American public. Every year I ask, and without blinking, you open your hearts and wallets," Lewis said. "You've also let 'my kids' of all ages, and their loved ones, know that they aren't alone in this fight."

Originating from CBS Television City in Los Angeles, the telethon pledges received through Monday broke last year's record of $58.3 million, said telethon spokeswoman Carol Sowell. The 38th annual broadcast was shown on about 200 television stations.

The money raised included an $18.3 million contribution from the International Association of Fire Fighters, a longtime sponsor of the MDA.

The privately funded MDA works to combat more than 40 neuromuscular diseases through research, services to those afflicted, and professional and public health education.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

[e the word "idiopathic" (from the Greek "idio" meaning "peculiar" or "unusual" and "pathy" meaning "illness") to describe the disease, because the cause of IPF is unknown. Currently, researchers believe that IPF may result from either an autoimmune disorder, a condition in which the body's immune system attacks its own tissues, or the after effects of an infection, most likely a virus. Whatever the trigger is for IPF, it appears to set off a series of events in which the inflammation and immune activity in the lungs -- and, eventually, the fibrosis processes, too--become uncontrollable. ]

No mention of excessive smoking. IMO, this could certainly be a factor.

[justshe]

I saw an interview with Jerry Lewis re: his weight/steroids. Once you have been on high doses of steroids over a long period of time, you have to SLOWLY reduce the dosage.....VERY slowly over a long period of time. He indicated that will be happening with him. You can't just stop them all at once...or you could die. The steroids, IIRC, are taking the place of the function of the adrenal gland. You slowly reduce the steroids and 'trick' the adrenal gland into reactivating.

It can take from 6 months to 3 years....for the body to readjust to being off steroids...and for the weight gain (ballooning) to be reversed.

If he is lucky (and I pray he is)......his weight gain should reverse.

[Sen Jack S. Fogbound]

As I understand it, the disease will kill him within two or maybe three years since the diagnosis. At of now, Jerry has perhaps one or two more years. He is happy since he is pain-free from his back pain for 37 years!

He may not make the mext Telethon!

[Lion in Winter]

Social Security disability pays forn MOST of the equipment that people with MD use.

I don't trust that organization because of those bogus and rude Jail type of lock-up fund raising thingies, they do all year around. The whole thing is just crummy.

My friend was contacted and told somebody had "ratted" him out as a generous person. Well, funny thing was the MDA person who called him would never tell him who told them that. All they would say was that it was somebody, JUST RECENTLY, from his place of employment. They were laughing and saying he would find out when he got to the lock-up.... they would send a police car for him.

My friend had been UNEMPLOYED for over 6 years as he was disabled from the effects of lung cancer. He had never ever worked in our town.... he was even from another State.

He was very upset over the whole thing and said he would NEVER give a dime to that bunch of scoundrels!

[Dr. Eckleburg]

Is Chris Rock the only person to question why, after all these decades and over a billion dollars in donations, more hasn't been done to cure these horrific diseases?

[College Repub]

Don't go to any American Cancer Society fundraisers if you don't like that lockup stuff. I attended one on college recently and was locked up by some friends. I had to pay "bail" to get out. Yeah, I could have yelled and screamed and shook the makeshift 15 feet tall cage around for a couple minutes till they realized I was serious about being released but that would have made me look like an ass in front of hundreds of people.

[FlyVet]

Well...I haven't watched the MD Telethon for a few years. I don't know how he does it, breaking the records seemingly every year. It says a lot about how generous Americans are, and also how tenacious Jerry Lewis is. People make fun of him, and say the French are stupid because he is some kind of hero to them. Call me stupid too, because I thought he produced some of the funniest slapstick movie scenes of all time.

[Greybird]

I don't know how he does it, breaking the records seemingly every year.

He doesn't, actually. In the 1970s he routinely took in $30 million and more each year -- but that would be $90 million and more today, accounting for inflation. MDA would be even worse off if large unions and companies weren't dunning their members into contributions.

I admire Lewis's dedication, always have, but that doesn't mean he's above some indirect dissembling.

[FlyVet]

I admire Lewis's dedication, always have, but that doesn't mean he's above some indirect dissembling

ok, I'll take your word for it. But, at his age, and given his health, he doesn't have to put himself through this. But he does. Yeah, I admire the guy too. He's one of the old-timers who worked his way up from Vaudeville nothing. Most of these pampered stars now didn't go though squat compared to JL and his ilk.

[Solson]

They do this everyday...quietly...for thousands. My nephew has been afflicted with this disease and without MDA, he and their family would be shouldering an enormous burden on their own.

[Solson]

Nothing MDA does is bogus. They are a strong charity with a great track record and low administrative percentages.

But, to each their own. If you don't want to or cannot support them, then you have that choice.

[justshe]

***As I understand it, the disease will kill him within two or maybe three years since the diagnosis. At of now, Jerry has perhaps one or two more years.***

I had not realized that. During the interview I saw, he indicated the Predisone use would be decreased slowly but he still had another 18 months before he was off the drug completely. He didn't say anything about his disease being terminal.

Sorry to hear that.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

No, the argument would only be somewhat "equal" if Iraq is still self-destructing in 2041.

I give the Iraqis more chance at recovery than the poor kids on Jerry's telethon.

What has been accomplished in four decades except to discover new neuro-muscular diseases?

I have a brave and wonderful friend who was just diagnosed with ALS. This devout husband and father went from being a brilliant businessman last year to now being given 12-18 months to live. From one autumn to the following summer, he went from playing tennis to being tube-fed and wheelchair-bound.

Forty years and over one billion dollars in private funds.

It's not a "simplistic" question. It needs to be asked.

[Ciexyz]

Jerry Lewis made some eps of Wiseguy circa 1989. Gave a great performance as a gangster in the garment industry.

[Ciexyz]

Thanks for the post on Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.

[Feiny]

Nope, I have asked that same question & that is why I refuse to donate to that cause. I also refuse to give to Aids research as I used to know people in the field who said that they had more money than they could ever spend. So, I decided my money was best spent helping other groups.

[Clemenza]

Summer just don't end without Jerry singing:

YOU'LL NEV-AH WALLLKKKK AAAAALOOOOOOOONNNEEE!

[The Wizard]

correctly put