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Kerry Gray
Hatteberg's People
Reporter: Larry Hatteberg
September 2, 2003--With the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon setting a record this year, both locally and nationally for fundraising, it's important to understand why we do this each year.
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| We do it for people like Kerry Gray, an incredibly successful man running a large advertising agency. Despite his success though, he is a victim of a deadly form of Muscular Dystrophy, |
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A-L-S, also known as Lou Gerigh's disease. It's a devastating disease that takes away your muscles, but leaves your mind intact.
We do the telethon for people like Kerry...and thousands of others.
"The thing about ALS is, that it is so rare." |
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At Associated Advertising agency Kerry Gray is the man in charge....it was only recently he learned he had
ALS, better known as Lou Gerhigs Disease. |
"And everyone I see, the first thing they say to me is, 'How you doing?', I say, I'm dying."
"You just have to get up and go and live that day. The doctor told us right from the beginning, don't worry about yesterday, don't worry about tomorrow, live today."
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Kerry and Marilyn Gray are a team, facing the disease together. They decided to go public a few months ago, when Kerry's voice began to fail. |
"At first we really didn't want to tell a lot of people because Kerry said, 'I don't want a bunch of people feeling sorry for me.' But then, as time went on, and his voice got worse, then we said, well, we've got to tell people because some people were starting to wonder."
"The reaction that I have had has been beyond belief."
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That 'reaction' came when Kerry created this ALS update publication. In it...he writes about all phases of his battle with the disease. In one part he writes, pray for my family.
"It is non-curable. There is no cure." |
"And so people need to continue to give so that they can keep the research going, because one of these days, they have got to find something."
In these pictures, taken at work a couple of years ago, Kerry today continues at the place he's been for 30 years.
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"So it's not like work. This is my life. I just don't know what else to do."
Kerry and Marilyn have talked about the future. Difficult moments, difficult subject, but because of this preparation it has given both of them a degree of peace.
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"We have talked about funerals and plots before, but we just talked. We had never done anything. So it did get us in gear and get us organized to take care of things. I just figure God has a plan."
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Note:
This year, the Muscular Dystrophy Association raised over 60 million dollars nationwide.
In Wichita, the Telethon as seen on KAKE-TV raised over 609,000 dollars.
Both amounts set records for contributions. |
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