Miracle Workers Preview for March 27th  3/27/06

A WOMAN WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE AND A BOY BLIND SINCE BIRTH SEEK HELP FROM ABC'S "MIRACLE WORKERS"

"Lustig/McInnish" - A 60-year-old woman struggling with Parkinson's disease and an 11-year-old boy, blind since birth, turn to the medical team for help with their disabilities, on "Miracle Workers," MONDAY, MARCH 27 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Charlene Lustig of Mesquite, NV, once named "Woman of the Year" by her community, strives to stay active. But Charlene has Parkinson's disease, a neurological movement disorder in which neurons in the brain have become impaired. For Charlene, this causes motor dysfunction, and even with the highest doses of medication, the motor symptoms make functioning nearly impossible.

With a disabled husband, a daughter and two grandchildren to attend to, Charlene would like nothing more than to get back to a symptom-free life. She desperately wants to return to her work in the community. Her only chance is with an innovative surgery called Deep Brain Stimulation, which implants electrodes in the brain that stimulate brain signals that will hopefully relieve all symptoms of the disease. This surgery is her only chance to get back her active and service-driven life.

Dr. Kim J. Burchiel, M.D., F.A.C.S., the John Raaf, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery at Oregon Health Sciences University, is the 'Miracle Worker' doctor who will oversee Charlene's procedure. Redmond Burke, M.D., and Tamara Houston, R.N., are the regular dream team members assigned to the operation.

Eleven-year-old Josh McInnish of Dothan, AL, is an active young boy who does well in school, loves karate, music and baseball. You would hardly know that he's been blind since birth. Josh has undergone previous cornea transplants, but all have proven unsuccessful. He will give surgery one more try with the latest technology in corneal transplants. Doctors will attach an artificial cornea to a donor cornea and implant that into Josh's eye. The procedure may give him the chance to gain the sight he has never had and achieve all his dreams.

Dr. Peter Zloty, M.D., will oversee the procedure. Dr. Billy Cohn, M.D. and Janna Bullock, R.N., M.S.N., are the regular dream team members assigned to the operation.

The regular "Miracle Workers" dream team includes lead doctors Redmond Burke, a pioneering cardiac surgeon who performed New England's first heart lung transplant on a child; Billy Cohn, a cardiovascular surgeon who has been called the "Thomas Edison" of heart surgery for his impressive list of inventions that have changed surgery techniques; UCLA Medical Center nurse Janna Bullock and McLennan Community Recovery R.N. Tamara Houston.

Created by Renegade 83, "Miracle Workers" is executive-produced by Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey (co-heads of DreamWorks Television), and David Garfinkle and Jay Renfroe from Renegade 83

Entertainment. Scott Jeffress is co-executive producer. "Miracle Workers" is broadcast with Spanish subtitles via secondary closed captioning. A TV parental guideline will be assigned closer to airdate.

Source: ABC Press Release