Telethon raises record amount

LOS ANGELES — The Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association received a record $58.3 million in nationwide pledges through Monday, a telethon spokesman said. \nThe 76-year-old Lewis, his face and body bloated and puffy due to steroid medication he takes for pulmonary fibrosis, was assisted during the 21 1/2 -hour fund-raiser by co-hosts that included Ed McMahon, comedians Wayne Brady and Norm Crosby, and performers Charo and Andy Williams. \n"I asked for their talent and energy, and they brought it all out on that stage for me and my kids," Lewis said. "This was the most successful show we've ever done, and I couldn't have done any of this without them." \nOriginating from CBS Television City in Los Angeles, the telethon broke a record set a year ago of $56.8 million, said telethon spokesman Bob Mackle. The 37th annual broadcast was shown on about 200 television stations. \nLewis sat in a chair during his periods as host. In the past few years, Lewis has been plagued by devastating physical ills, including spinal meningitis, chronic back pain and diabetes, making the telethon a grueling event.\nAfterward, he praised the "generosity and compassion" of contributors. \n"That's America's real gift to people with neuromuscular diseases — the knowledge that they're not alone in the fight, that their friends and neighbors are behind us in the drive to beat these devastating diseases." \nThe money raised included $17 million from the International Association of Fire Fighters, in memory of fallen firefighters. IAFF general president Harold Schaitberger said in the opening hour of the show that some of the firefighters who lost their lives Sept. 11 at the World Trade Center in New York were active volunteers for the MDA. \nThe privately funded MDA works to combat more than 40 neuromuscular diseases through research, services to those afflicted, and professional and public health education.