Maumee Man to Appear on Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon

TUCSON, Ariz. —– Dave Calabrese of Maumee, Ohio, will be featured on the national broadcast of the 2010 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon over Labor Day weekend, Sept. 5-6.

Calabrese, 38, will appear in a videotaped profile on the national Muscular Dystrophy Association show. He’ll also appear live on WTVG, Channel 13, in Toledo. See his profile from 2009.

The national Telethon originates from the South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa in Las Vegas, beginning at 9 p.m. EDT., Sunday, Sept. 5, and running for 21½ hours.

Calabrese has ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease), a disorder of the motor neurons that progressively affects all voluntary muscles, eventually resulting in complete paralysis. It's usually fatal within three to five years after diagnosis.

"Dave has been a warrior in his fight against ALS,” said MDA President & CEO Gerald Weinberg. “His profile is so powerful that we’re sharing it again to galvanize public support for our lifesaving mission.

Before he began experiencing the symptoms of ALS, Calabrese worked on the assembly line at Ford Motor Company's Saline, Mich., plant. He also spent more than 20 years playing football, starting at Maumee High School and playing with a number of semipro teams, including the Northwest Ohio Knights.

The star-studded show is expected to be watched by nearly 40 million viewers in the United States and Canada via more than 170 television and cable stations in MDA's "Love Network." People worldwide will be able to see the Telethon live via RealNetworks at www.mda.org.

Social media followers of MDA's Twitter, Facebook and YouTube sites will be treated to a behind-the-scenes look at the show during the broadcast.

MDA is the nonprofit health agency dedicated to curing muscular dystrophy, ALS and related diseases by funding worldwide research. The Association also provides comprehensive health care and support services, advocacy and education. MDA is the first nonprofit organization to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Medical Association ("for significant and lasting contributions to the health and welfare of humanity").

MDA maintains a clinic for area adults and children with muscle diseases at Toledo Children's Hospital — Center for Health Services in Toledo, Ohio.