Actor Michael York is known for heralded roles in films as diverse as Cabaret, Logan’s Run, and the Austin Powers movies. But today, the actor hopes to stand in a spotlight of a different kind.
York suffers from a condition called amyloidosis, a rare disease that occurs when an abnormal protein called amyloid builds up in your organs. If left undiagnosed and untreated, it can be life threatening. Unfortunately there is not yet a cure for the disease, but there are treatments available that can help manage symptoms.
The RENEWAL Project seeks to raise awareness and research dollars for the condition. It is based at the Medical College of Wisconsin, where Doctor Parameswaran Hari is a leading researcher into the disease.
York was in Milwaukee this morning to launch the RENEWAL project, and he recently joined Lake Effect's Bonnie North in the studio along with RENEWAL Project coordinator Paul McComas over the phone.
"It's primed at a time when significant things are happening all over the world. It's so rare, it's 150,000 people in the United States and Europe combined," says York. "So I consider myself incredibly lucky to have had - finally - the correct diagnosis."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-kXrEMoAa4
