Best-Selling Poet to be Featured on Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon

TUCSON, Ariz., Aug. 05, 2002 — The world's best-selling living poet and his mother will travel to Hollywood to appear on the national broadcast of the Jerry Lewis Telethon for the Muscular Dystrophy Association on Labor Day weekend.

Mattie Stepanek, 12, of Upper Marlboro, Md., is the subject of a pretaped profile that will be aired nationwide on the Sept. 1-2 Telethon. In addition, he and his mother, Jeni Stepanek, will appear in person during the live national broadcast from CBS Television City in Hollywood.

The MDA Telethon will originate from CBS Television City in Hollywood, and will be broadcast by some 200 "Love Network" stations nationwide, Sept. 1-2. The Telethon can also be seen on MDA's Web site, www.mda.org, with help from RealNetworks.

As MDA's National Goodwill Ambassador, Mattie represents families served by MDA at conferences and events across the country, and in media and promotional materials.

"I'm thrilled to have Mattie and Jeni join me in sharing MDA's message with our viewers," said Jerry Lewis, MDA national chairman and Telethon star. "They'll help us demonstrate some of the many challenges faced by families affected by neuromuscular disease."

In the profile, Mattie talks about the success of his poetry books (the fourth book, "Celebrate Through Heartsongs," with a foreword by Lewis, is scheduled for release just before the Telethon), and his appearances on several national television shows, including "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

Mattie has mitochondrial myopathy, which disrupts the body's breathing, processing of oxygen and heart rate, while weakening muscles. His mother has the adult form of the disease, which took the lives of three of her children in early childhood. Mattie uses a power wheelchair for mobility and a respirator for breathing assistance.

More information about this remarkable young man can be found on the Web at www.mda.org/mattie.

MDA is a voluntary health agency working to defeat more than 40 neuromuscular diseases through programs of worldwide research, comprehensive services, and far-reaching professional and public health education. MDA maintains a nationwide network of 230 clinics serving children and adults affected by neuromuscular diseases.