TBS STORYLINE Tells Heart-Breaking Story of Family Dealing With Little Understood Mitochondrial Disease Saturday, April 15

TBS STORYLINE Tells Heart-Breaking Story of Family Dealing With Little Understood Mitochondrial Disease Saturday, April 15

Weekly In-Depth Look at Georgian Issues, Events and Fascinating Stories Airs Locally in Atlanta Saturdays at 9 a.m. on TBS

ATLANTA, April 6 /PRNewswire/ -- TBS STORYLINE, a weekly magazine series produced by TBS's Emmy(R)-winning Public Affairs department, will take an in- depth look at a family dealing with mitochondrial disease, a little understood condition in which the cell mitochondria fail to provide enough energy for the body to sustain life and support growth. The story will air during TBS STORYLINE's Saturday, April 15, 9 a.m. episode. TBS STORYLINE is a new weekly magazine series examining Georgia-related issues, events and personal stories. The hour-long series, hosted by TBS's own Myrna Moore, airs on TBS-17, TBS's local Atlanta broadcast platform.

TBS STORYLINE's examination of mitochondrial disease, which has sadly become more common in children than cancer, focuses on Sheri and Darin Seldes and their remarkable young son Ty, who was born with the disorder. Ty is 3 1/2 years old and is not able to sit up, speak or eat table food. He will never be able to walk, talk or play with his older brother. Ty has a mitochondrial disease called Leigh's Disease, which is one of the most severe of all mitochondrial diseases. It is a degeneration of the central nervous system due to defects in the mitochondria. Patches of brain damage continue to occur as nerve cells die. The prognosis of Leigh's Disease is very poor, and there is no treatment. Occasionally, patients may live to be 6 or 7 years old.

The long tedious process of arriving at a diagnosis made Ty's family painfully aware of the lack of knowledge of mitochondrial disease within the medical community. Like so many other children, Ty was referred to a long succession of doctors, each of whom ran an abundance of tests, but unfortunately they had no answers. It was not until 14 months later, when Ty was seen by a mitochondrial disease specialist, Dr. John Shoffner, that his family finally received an answer. Their worst fear had become reality.

Since Ty is so young, he is not aware of what is happening to him. His days are filled with watching cartoons, drinking milk and playing with the mountains of toys he shares with his brother. His evenings are filled with agitation and screaming. The toll this disease takes on his little body is nothing short of horrifying. Ty has lost the ability to move his legs, and he is losing the ability to control his hands. Through it all, however, he still has the ability to fill people's hearts with happiness every time he laughs and smiles.

Because there is currently no government funding for research into mitochondrial disease, Ty's parents are staunch advocates on his behalf and on behalf of all people who suffer from the condition. They have established a walk called Ty's Trot Toward a Cure, which will be held in Atlanta's Piedmont Park in September. More information about the walk can be found at www.tystrot.com. In addition, Georgia Baptist Children's Home will hold a Race for Riley 5K walk/run on Saturday, April 29. Information about Race for Riley can be found at www.raceforriley.org.

Additional information about mitochondrial disease and other ways people can support research for a cure can be found at the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation Web site at www.umdf.org.

Other stories appearing in this episode of TBS STORYLINE include an interview with theater icon Kenny Leon, former artistic director of Atlanta's Alliance Theatre; a humorous look at Groundhog Day; and a stellar performance from breakout jazz performers Days Ahead.

A venue for dynamic, in-depth stories, TBS STORYLINE builds on TBS's long- standing commitment to addressing issues important to Georgians. The series' thoughtful approach to storytelling, candid interviews and inspiring musical performances are packaged with the same kind of high-quality production values that have earned TBS Public Affairs more than 40 Regional Emmys.

In addition to its on-air presence, TBS STORYLINE has a prominent place on the Internet, with the show's Web site (http://www.tbsstoryline.com/) providing in-depth background on the stories presented, highlights of upcoming programs and exclusive video of musical performances.

TBS-17 is the local Atlanta broadcast platform for TBS. In addition to TBS's line-up of hot contemporary comedies, high-profile original series, blockbuster movies, hosted movie showcases and action-packed sports, TBS-17 also presents programming of interest to Atlanta viewers, produced by the Emmy-winning TBS Public Affairs team. TBS's Web site is located at http://www.tbsstoryline.com/.

Source: TBS

CONTACT: Kevin Little, Press Contact, +1-404-885-4378, or
kevin.little@turner.com, or Brian Parker, Public Affairs, +1-404-885-0984, or
brian.parker@turner.com, both of TBS

Web site: http://www.tbsstoryline.com/
http://www.tystrot.com/
http://www.raceforriley.org/
http://www.umdf.org/

-------
Profile: intent