SISTER-BROTHER TEAM RETURN AS MDA NATIONAL AMBASSADORS

TUCSON, Ariz., January 14, 1999 - Twelve-year-old Aubrey Olson and her brother, Nicholas, 10, have been appointed as National Goodwill Ambassadors for the Muscular Dystrophy Association for a second year.

Through public appearances across the country, the sister-brother team from Pine City, Minn., represents families MDA serves. Their 1999 travel schedule includes the National Child Care Association (NCCA) convention in Orlando in March, the Service Merchandise Harry and Mary Zimmerman Dinner in Nashville in May, the Harley-Davidson Motor Company dealer meeting in San Diego in August, and both the Seven Up Bottler meeting and the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon in September. Harley-Davidson, Service Merchandise, Seven Up and the NCCA are MDA national sponsors.

MDA National Chairman Jerry Lewis said the youngsters are a terrific choice as ambassadors.

"Nick and Aubrey are delightful and charming," Lewis said. "They win the hearts of everyone they meet."

Aubrey and Nicholas are the children of Bruce and Cindy Olson of Pine City, about 50 miles north of St. Paul. Both youngsters are affected by Friedreich's ataxia, one of the 40 neuromuscular diseases in MDA's program.

Friedreich's ataxia is a disease of the peripheral nerves that causes impairment of limb coordination, muscle weakness, loss of sensation and heart weakness. For the Olson children, poor balance and fatigue are other consequences.

Bruce Olson is a project engineer at United Defense, a naval defense firm. His wife, Cindy, is the proprietor of The Heron's Nest, a Northwoods gift shop in Pine City.

Both children attend Pine City Elementary School. Nicholas, a fourth-grader, uses a motorized wheelchair to get around. Aubrey, a sixth-grader, is ambulatory and uses a wheelchair part time.

All the members of the Olson family are active MDA volunteers, including the eldest daughter, Brittney, 14, who doesn't have Friedreich's ataxia.

Mrs. Olson describes Aubrey and Nicholas as "typical kids." Aubrey enjoys computers, writing, art and her four pets. Nicholas likes fishing, Cub Scouts and "making life difficult for his sisters."

In 1996, MDA-funded scientists discovered two types of mutations on a chromosome 9 gene that can lead to Friedreich's ataxia. They soon identified a protein, called frataxin, that's missing in those with the disorder. They're building on those findings to develop potential treatments.

MDA is a voluntary health agency working to defeat 40 neuromuscular diseases through programs of worldwide research, comprehensive services, and far-reaching professional and public health education. Recognized by the American Medical Association with a Lifetime Achievement Award "for significant and lasting contributions to the health and welfare of humanity," MDA maintains 230 hospital-affiliated clinics that offer families the best in care for progressive neuromuscular diseases. The Association's programs are funded almost entirely by individual contributors.

For more information, call (800) 572-1717 or check MDA's Web site at www.mda.org.

Editor's Note: Read the Olsons' bio or their profile from Quest Magazine.