Two men with ALS - Asa Baber of Chicago and Steven Bishop of Arvada, Colo. - will be profiled on the national broadcast of the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon Sept. 1-2.

Asa Baber
On June 19, 1936, the day Asa Baber was born, Lou Gehrig celebrated his 33rd birthday. That year the New York Yankees first baseman had one of his best seasons, finishing with a .354 batting average, 49 home runs, 167 runs scored and 152 runs batted in - good enough to be named league Most Valuable Player.

On July 4, 1939, in what has become one of the most famous speeches in American history, Gehrig publicly said farewell to the game he loved. By the time Asa Baber reached his fifth birthday, Lou Gehrig was gone.

Today, Baber, 66, who writes a column called "Men" for Playboy, is battling the same disease that took Gehrig's life. In his column, from which Baber will read excerpts on the Telethon, he told his readers about having Lou Gehrig's disease:

"I am now confronting the many problems ALS presents, and I know that things will become more difficult for me as the disease progresses," he wrote. "How long it will take is beyond my powers of prediction. But I am ready for whatever comes my way."


Steven Bishop and family
Staying Upbeat

Steven Bishop, 36, also has ALS. And while the disease is slowly destroying his body, this husband and father has refused to let it reach his spirit, or his sense of humor.

It's an attitude that he and his wife, Jennifer, try to impart to others, as they coordinate an MDA ALS support group in Denver.

"They see that we're upbeat and still have a great sense of humor about it," he says. "I think all of that is extremely important."

The Bishops find MDA and the Telethon important, too.

"MDA does a lot of things for me," he relates. "Anytime we can be involved with that is very important because we want (people) to understand that they're not just giving to an organization. We want them to know how it's affecting the people that they're giving to."

Watch your local television listings for the Telethon "Love Network" station nearest you, and tune in on Sept. 1-2. You can also see the Telethon on the Internet at www.mdausa.org.