'Sharing Miracles' Television Program to Feature Award-Winning Hollywood Star Danny Glover

'Sharing Miracles' Television Program to Feature Award-Winning Hollywood Star Danny Glover

WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Hollywood star Danny Glover, best known for his role as Detective Roger Murtaugh in the blockbuster Lethal Weapon movies, will be featured on this month's episode of Sharing Miracles - a 30-minute public affairs television program that tells the compelling and inspirational stories of real patients. Sharing Miracles airs every Sunday morning on more than 300 television stations nationwide.

Glover was just 15 when he suffered a debilitating seizure. Despite a wide range of tests, the cause of the seizure remained unknown until Glover suffered several more and was eventually diagnosed with epilepsy.

For the most part, Glover relied on medication to control his epilepsy. Early in his acting career, he was about to take the stage in his first major role when he felt the onset of a seizure. In this month's episode, he discusses this experience: "I walked up and down the floor of that theater and said to myself, 'I will not have this seizure. I will not have this seizure. I will not have this seizure.' And each time I said, 'I will not have this seizure,' I believed that I was not going to. Each time, I got a little bit stronger, and the symptoms began to diminish to the point where I was ready to go on stage. I talked myself out of that seizure."

He adds, "The moment that I finished the play and walked off the stage, I said to someone, 'Grab me, I'm about to have a seizure!'"

This ability to control his illness through medication and concentration made it possible for him to continue building his career, which has seen Glover appear in dozens of movies, including the Lethal Weapon franchise as well as critically acclaimed films The Color Purple, Places in the Heart, The Royal Tenenbaums and Dreamgirls.

After 20 years, he stopped experiencing seizures. "No one knows why," he says. "I never had one before I was 15, and then after I was 35, they stopped."

However, other epilepsy patients are not so lucky. That's why America's pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies have more than 540 medicines in development to treat debilitating neurological disorders such as epilepsy. According to the Epilepsy Foundation, more than 2.5 million Americans suffer from the disease, with more than 108,000 diagnoses each year.

Speaking in this month's episode about treatment options, Johnson & Johnson scientist Dr. Frank Wiegand says, "There should be a treatment plan that tells a patient exactly when to take their medication. Their medications are their main guard against seizures, so it's very important to take those medications on a regular basis."

The episode also includes interviews with Lethal Weapon director Richard Donner and legendary actor and singer Harry Belafonte, who talk about working with - and their friendships with - Glover.

Next month's episode of Sharing Miracles will feature former Philadelphia Phillies all-star and cancer survivor John Kruk, now a baseball analyst on ESPN.

Previous episodes of Sharing Miracles have featured Academy Award-winning actress Marcia Gay Harden, a breast cancer advocate; Grammy Award-winning country music superstar Naomi Judd, who overcame Hepatitis C; pioneering rapper and actor Ice-T, who speaks about his battle with heart disease; baseball great Darryl Strawberry, who twice beat colon cancer; Emmy Award-winning actor Joey Pantoliano, who suffers from clinical depression; Football Hall-of-Famer Mike Ditka, who suffers from heart disease; Super Bowl Champion and former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jerome Bettis, who has asthma; two-time NCAA tournament-winning University of Connecticut basketball coach Jim Calhoun, who has overcome cancer three times; NBA Hall-of-Famer Dominique Wilkins; Boston Red Sox star pitcher Jon Lester, who has battled leukemia; Emmy-nominated former star of Family Ties Meredith Baxter, who survived breast cancer; Olympic gold medal winners Mark Spitz (high cholesterol), Bruce Jenner (attention deficit disorder), and Greg Louganis (HIV); syndicated television talk show host Montel Williams, who suffers from multiple sclerosis; actor and Leave It To Beaver star Jerry Mathers, who is affected by diabetes; pop icon and Broadway star Deborah Gibson, who has suffered from devastating anxiety attacks; and Pro Football Hall-of-Famer and Super Bowl Champion Len Dawson, who survived prostate cancer.

The new episode debuts September 6. Sharing Miracles airs on Sunday mornings on the following network-affiliated stations: WDCA-TV, Washington, DC, 9 am-9:30 am; WPHL-TV, Philadelphia, PA, 11 am-11:30 am; WUTB-TV, Baltimore, MD, 9 am-9:30 am; WXIN-TV, Indianapolis, IN, 11:30 am-12 noon; KVMY-TV, Las Vegas, NV, 9 am-9:30 am; WCTX-TV, Hartford/New Haven, CT, 9 am-9:30 am; WRAZ-TV, Raleigh, NC, 7:30 am-8:00 am; WNYA-TV, Albany, NY, 8 am-8:30 am; WWL-TV, New Orleans, LA, 7:30 am-8:00 am; WCIA-TV, Springfield/Champaign/Urbana/Decatur, IL, 10:30 am-11 am; WBRZ-TV, Baton Rouge, LA, 11 am-11:30 am; WHTM-TV, Harrisburg, PA, 11 am-11:30 am; WOWK-TV, Charleston/Huntington, WV, 11:30 am-12 noon; WMTW-TV, Portland/Augusta, ME, 11:30 am-12 noon; KHBB-TV, Helena, MT, 10 am-10:30 am; WMBD-TV, Peoria, IL, 10 am-10:30 am; WHBF-TV, Rock Island, IL/Davenport, IA, 10 am-10:30 am; KFBB-TV, Great Falls, MT, 10 am-10:30 am; KDEV-TV, Cheyenne, WY, 7:30 am-8:00 am; and WTOV-TV, Rockford, IL, 10:30 am-11:00 am.

The show also airs on 290 community broadcast stations across the country. For free DVDs of Sharing Miracles, please contact the PhRMA press line at 202-835-3460 or go to www.sharingmiracles.com.

Community stations airing Sharing Miracles are located in the following cities: Anchorage, AK; Decatur, AL; Harrison, AR; Mountain Home, AR; Tempe, AZ; Bath, ME; Casa Grande, AZ; Chino Valley, AZ; Anaheim, CA; Compton, CA; Coralville, CO; Del Mar, CA; Gilroy, CA; Hayward, CA; Pacifica, CA; Pasadena, CA; Petaluma, CA; San Andreas, CA; Santa Barbara, CA; Arvada, CO; Aurora, CO; Fort Collins, CO; Golden, CO; Greeley, CO; Longmont, CO; Northglenn, CO; Thornton, CO; Bridgeport, CT; East Haven, CT; Hamden, CT; Hartford, CT; Madison, CT; North Haven, CT; Plainville, CT; Simsbury, CT; Wallingford, CT; Brooksville, FL; Cape Coral, FL; Coral Springs, FL; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Fort Myers, FL; MacDill AFB, FL; Tampa, FL; Palm Coast, FL; Vero Beach, FL; Atlanta, GA; Dallas, GA; Douglasville, GA; Fort Oglethorpe, GA; Hilo, HI; Ames, IA; Des Moines, IA; Fairfield, IA; Mount Vernon, IA; Olin, IA; Muscatine, IA; Boise, ID; Coeur d'Alene, ID ; Moscow, ID ; Addison, IL; Aurora, IL; Batavia, IL; Darien, IL; Galesburg, IL; Glen Ellyn, IL; Glenview, IL; Joliet, IL; Lake Forest, IL; Naperville, IL; Plainfield, IL; Romeoville, IL; Urbana, IL; Wheaton, IL; Austin, IN; Bloomington, IN; Connersville, IN; Fort Wayne, IN; Richmond, IN; Haysville, KS; Lawrence, KS; Olathe, KS; Ottawa, KS; Covington, KY; Highland Heights, KY; Louisville, KY; Bossier City, LA; Houma, LA; Lafayette, LA; Mandeville, LA; New Orleans, LA; Amherst, MA; Arlington, MA; Boston, MA; Brookline, MA; Carver, MA; Chelmsford, MA; Dracut, MA; Easthampton, MA; Foxboro, MA; Holden, MA; Hopkinton, MA; Leominster, MA; Lexington, MA; Longmeadow, MA; Lynn, MA; Marion, MA; Sandwich, MA; Wakefield, MA; Wilbraham, MA; Worcester, MA; Bel Air, MD; Columbia, MD; Easton, MD; Greenbelt, MD; Largo, MD; Rockville, MD; Bath, ME; Boothbay Harbor, ME; Bridgton, ME; Brunswick, ME; Madison, ME; Mexico, ME; Ann Arbor, MI; Byron, MI; Cadillac, MI; Farmington Hills, MI; Holland, MI; Kalamazoo, MI; Lake Orion, MI; Manistee, MI; Monroe, MI; Portage, MI; Romeo, MI; Waterford, MI; Wyandotte, MI; Blaine, MN; Bloomington, MN; Champlin, MN; Coon Rapids, MN; Duluth, MN; Fergus Falls, MN; Hibbing, MN; Hutchinson, MN; Inver Grove Heights, MN; Minneapolis, MN; Rosemont, MN; Spring Park, MN; Stillwater, MN; White Bear Lake, MN; Brentwood, MI; Hudsonville, MI; Blue Springs, MO; Columbia, MO; Independence, MO; Ste. Genevieve, MO; Hillsboro, MS; Vicksburg, MS; Great Falls, MT; Helena, MT; Albemarle, NC; Charlotte, NC; Knightdale, NC; New Bern, NC; Fargo, ND; Grand Island, NE; Hastings, NE; Lincoln, NE; Omaha, NE; Claremont, NH; Derry, NH; Durham, NH; Keene, NH; Londonderry, NH; Manchester, NH; North Conway, NH; Wolfeboro, NH; Bloomfield, NJ; Metuchen, NJ; Montclair, NJ; Piscataway, NJ; Pomona, NJ; Princeton, NJ; Statewide, NJ; Wayne, NJ; Albuquerque, NM; Los Alamos, NM; Santa Fe, NM; Taos, NM; Boulder City, NV; Carson City, NV; Minden, NV; Chappaqua, NY; Fairport, NY; Penfield, NY; Staten Island, NY; Tivoli, NY; Webster, NY; Athens, OH; Cincinnati, OH; Cleveland, OH; Defiance, OH; Fairborn, OH; Hudson; OH; Macedonia, OH; Medina, OH; Middletown, OH; Norwood, OH; Troy, OH; Wadsworth, OH; Perry, OK; Oregon City, OR; Silverton, OR; Ardmore, PA; Berwyn, PA; Bethel Park, PA; Gettysburg, PA; Harrisburg, PA; McMurray, PA; Moon Township, PA; Pottstown, PA; Reading, PA; Wayne, PA; York, PA; Greenville, SC; Rockhill, SC; Union, SC; Clarksville, TN; Franklin, TN; Germantown, TN; Murfreesboro, TN; Arlington, TX; College Station, TX; Denton, TX; Houston, TX; Kingsville, TX; Cedar City, UT; Logan, UT; Salt Lake City, UT; Vernal, UT; Blacksburg, VA; Gloucester, VA; Herndon, VA; Norfolk, VA; Roanoke, VA; Suffolk, VA; Barre, VT; Bellow Falls, VT; Burlington, VT; Hyde Park, VT; Manchester Center, VT; Newport, VT; Springfield, VT; Waitsfield, VT; Bainbridge Island, WA; Bremerton, WA; Ellensburg, WA; Kent, WA; Longview, WA; Port Townsend, WA; Seattle, WA; Toppenish, WA; Dodgeville, WI; Eau Claire, WI; Hartford, WI; Janesville, WI; Lake Mills, WI; Kenosha, WI; Madison, WI; Merrill, WI; Muskego, WI; New London, WI; Reedsburg, WI; River Falls, WI; Sun Prairie, WI; Superior, WI; Waterloo, WI; Wausau, WI; Whitehall, WI; Wisconsin Rapids, WI; Huntington, WV; and Summersville, WV.

The show's corresponding Web site, www.sharingmiracles.com, is an interactive forum for people to relate their own personal stories of hope and survival. Every patient's battle is unique, but the collective power of shared experiences can offer great help and courage to others who are fighting for their lives.

The Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA) helps uninsured and financially-struggling patients access information on programs that provide prescription medicines for free or nearly free. To find out if they may qualify for help, patients should call toll-free 1-888-4PPA-NOW to speak with a trained specialist or visit www.pparx.org.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) represents the country's leading pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies, which are devoted to inventing medicines that allow patients to live longer, healthier, and more productive lives. PhRMA companies are leading the way in the search for new cures. PhRMA members alone invested an estimated $50.3 billion in 2008 in discovering and developing new medicines. Industry-wide research and investment reached a record $65.2 billion in 2008.

PhRMA Internet Address: http://www.phrma.org/

For information on stories of hope and survival, visit: http://sharingmiracles.com/

For information on how innovative medicines save lives, visit: http://www.innovation.org/

For information on the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, visit: http://www.pparx.org/

For more information on public health emergencies, visit http://www.rxresponse.org/

For information on the danger of imported drugs, visit: http://www.buysafedrugs.info/

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America

CONTACT: Kate Michael of The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers
of America, +1-202-835-3460

Web Site: http://www.phrma.org/
http://www.sharingmiracles.com/
http://www.pparx.org/
http://www.innovation.org/
http://www.buysafedrugs.info/
http://www.rxresponse.org/

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Profile: International Entertainment