Labor Day and MDA; my personal reflection

I made a point to surf the TV dial last night to find the MDA telethon. Unfortunately, our local station in New Orleans joins in on Monday. Thanks to WGN out of Chicago, I was able to catch the opening few hours. I truly wanted to watch from the beginning because I figured Jerry Lewis would pay tribute to Ed McMahon, his sidekick for so many years. And that he did; a great honor for a fine man.

The telethon was not much more than a source of TV viewing on the last holiday before school kicked it up a notch. My family would let us stay up late to watch the telethon when we were very young so it was always exciting.

Then, many years later, I joined a local chapter of the Jaycees, the Junior Chamber of Commerce. One of their big projects was supporting MDA through a variety of fundraisers. Little did I know that this seemingly minor involvement would lead to great memories. Locally, I was always inspired by the children and adults who we would meet who courageously battled some form of the disease. For some reason, I particularly remember a little girl named Abbey. She was all girl, precocious, sweet and remarkably strong as she battled muscular dystrophy. I wonder where she is today? As I became more and more active in Jaycees I started winning incentive trips to Las Vegas to see the telethon. It was always a thrill when your turn came to be allowed in the studio. Jerry Lewis was amazing and I remember personally seeing stars like Sammy Davis Jr., Bill Cosby, Norm Crosby, Ed McMahon, Wayne Newton.

Then came 1987. I was elected state President of the Louisiana Jaycees and our state was one of the top fundraising states. Not only was I able to return to Vegas, for the fourth time, but I was going to be introduced on stage to a national television audience. WOW! Even though the actual moment was over in a flash, that was my big national TV debut. I think I was more impressed the day before when at a private reception I got to shake the hand of Jerry Lewis and meet Mr. T too.

In 1988, I traveled to Nevada once again as a National VP of the Junior Chamber and visited local Jaycee telethons across the state. In Reno, I was introduced on TV to the local segment as a visiting dignitary. Oh my!

In my post Jaycee career I have not been back to Vegas for the telethon. But I must admit, I do indeed take a peek every year. I'm still drawn to this amazing event because I got to see, in a small way, the herculean effort to put this telethon together. But more importantly, I got the chance to see first hand the unbelievable courage and determination of those battling the various forms of muscular dystrophy.

So I remember fondly those Jaycee memories of my telethon experiences and pray for a cure and pray for strength and determination for those who battle muscular dystrophy every day.