"Burke, who himself has Down syndrome in real life). Drew is the husband of Libby Thacher and the father of Paige, Corky, and Becca Thatcher. He is a Special Olympics coach, and formerly worked for a construction company before going into the restaurant business. Corky is the middle child, and his siblings include older sister Paige, and younger sister Becca. Despite having Down Syndrome, he is high-functioning, and takes mostly regular classes in his school. He occasionally struggles, and indicated that mathematics was his hardest subject, but he improves through sessions with a tutor. Becca is the younger sister of"
"been working at a law firm, in the accounting department, for 20 years. She also occasionally works as an assistant teacher for the Pathway program in UCLA, where she helps teach students how to live independently. She has traveled to India and Japan, and speaks some Japanese. She also enjoys bowling and skiing. Andrea Fay Friedman Andrea Fay Friedman (born June 1, 1970) is an American film and television actress, who was born with Down syndrome. Friedman attended West Los Angeles Baptist High School and Santa Monica College. In 1992, she portrayed Amanda, the girlfriend of the character Charles ""Corky"""
"huge success. Corky's powerful agent, Ben Greene, is on the verge of signing him for his own television show, but Corky bails out for the Catskills, where he grew up, claiming to be ""afraid of success."" In truth, Corky does not want to take the TV network's required medical examination because doctors might find out that he suffers from severe mental issues, and that even off-stage he cannot control Fats (a manifestation of Corky's id). In the Catskills, Corky reunites with his high-school crush, Peggy Ann Snow, who is stuck in a passionless marriage with Corky's friend from high school,"
"suffered from cystic fibrosis. She died on July 9, 2007. 's Sarah Burke, 's Paula Meronek and ' Violetta Milerman each suffered from an eating disorder, anorexia and/or bulimia. 's Colie Edison battled mononucleosis. 's Ayiiia Elizarraras had a history of drug abuse and self-harming, the latter of which manifested during that season's fifth episode. She received treatment for it after filming ended, and recorded a public service announcement on the condition that aired at the end of that episode. ' Ryan Leslie suffered from severe obsessive compulsive disorder, which had deleterious effects on his relationship with the rest of"
"Andrea Fay Friedman Andrea Fay Friedman (born June 1, 1970) is an American film and television actress, who was born with Down syndrome. Friedman attended West Los Angeles Baptist High School and Santa Monica College. In 1992, she portrayed Amanda, the girlfriend of the character Charles ""Corky"" Thacher, on the TV show ""Life Goes On"" for two seasons. In 1993 she appeared in an episode of ""Baywatch"", in which Mary Lou Retton organizes a Special Olympics-like event. She starred in the 1997 film ""Smudge"" as Cindy, a girl in a group home for people with disabilities who attempts to hide"
"town of Neebo, Louisiana, Corky is the bane of the other journalists with her perky, relentlessly sunny personality—and dumbfounding lack of sophistication. Due to overwhelming audience reaction, management decides to retain Corky's services after Murphy's return, usually assigning her to lifestyle pieces or lightweight celebrity profiles. Despite her omnipresent perkiness, Corky does mature and acquires a fair amount of worldliness over the years, not the least of which comes courtesy of her marriage to high school classmate and writer Will Forest (during which she humorously and with apparent naiveté amends her on-air surname to become the Robin Hood-esque Corky Sherwood-Forest),"
"difficulties the disease causes with romantic relationships. The relationship between Corky and Becca, previously portrayed as close, was also explored, as Corky briefly turned his back on his sister for dumping a mutual friend in order to date Jesse. The fourth season's first episode, in which a 40-something Becca (Pamela Bellwood) tours the house she grew up in while remembering the events of 25 years earlier, establishes that Jesse would ultimately die from AIDS and that Becca would move on to marry a man named David. The series itself ended ambiguously but on an upbeat note, showing Becca five years"
"whilst visiting Iceland - which had been ascribed to his intense schedule, alcohol consumption, and ""party lifestyle"". A brain tumour was diagnosed. Although Kelly toured with the Dubliners after enduring an operation, his health deteriorated further. He forgot lyrics and had to take longer breaks in concerts as he felt weak. In addition following his emergency surgery after his collapse in Cork, he became more withdrawn, preferring the company of Madeleine at home to performing. On his European tour he managed to perform with the band for most of the show in Carre for their Live in Carre album. However,"
"an event for viewing Halley's Comet, traveling towards the equator aboard the supersonic airliner Concorde. He appeared on CNN several times, narrating solar eclipses and even hosted shows on Cartoon Network. Horkheimer was born with a congenital degenerative lung disease known as bronchiectasis and, as a result, suffered from chronic pain. His ailment was not diagnosed until he was 18 years old. During this time, he suffered from radiation sickness and lost his hair as the result of medical X-Ray treatments. In 1957, he had to leave the Honolulu Academy of Fine Arts because it was suspected that he had"
"couple also had two daughters, Stephanie Christine Corner born in 1947 in Hanover, New Hampshire, and Dorothy Lindsay Helga Corner in 1948 in Essex. Corner and his wife ultimately divorced in 1952, but he retained custody of his children. He remarried in April 1953 to his daughters' nanny, Helga Dinesen Sondergaard (John K Corner). In 1975, he was diagnosed with glaucoma and then cataracts in both eyes, and by 1983 he was unable to do any more microscopy. Even though his physical capacities declined sharply due to muscular paralysis and he was near blindness, Corner's mental faculties remained sharp until"
"experiences had Benard believing he was having his own ""fourth break down,"" though Benard credits staying on his medication as keeping him grounded. His willingness to integrate his real life medical condition into Sonny's storylines have raised visibility of the disease, leading to Benard appearing on shows such as ""The Oprah Winfrey Show"" to discuss the disease as well as being the spokesman for the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance. The name of Michael ""Sonny"" Corinthos, as well as his occupation, is a reference to ""The Godfather"" characters Michael Corleone and Santino ""Sonny"" Corleone. These characters have a sister named"
"be ""Corky Sherwood-Forrest"". In the wedding episode, maid-of-honor Murphy, dressed as an antebellum belle in a hoop-skirted nightmare of a bridemaid's dress, rages her way through the entire affair while thwarting the press's attempts to photograph the nuptials (mirroring the Sean Penn/Madonna wedding a few years earlier). The fifth season continued after the departure of series creator and showrunner Diane English. Murphy's struggles with parenthood were highlighted, as were the revolving-door of nanny characters mirroring her office tribulations. Corky's marriage unraveled and ended in divorce as she and Will grew apart. (Right before the wedding, Forrest had decided to abandon"
"when Colin himself began to fear that his symptoms were AIDS related. In fact giving Colin AIDS was never the programme's intention — it was felt that the most simplistic and unhelpful message that the programme could give out would be to have its only homosexual character become HIV positive — particularly as it happened at a time when misconceptions and fear about AIDS were rife. Colin was eventually diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, although this fact was kept from him by his doctor for the remainder of the year and he lived out 1988 with the belief that he was"
"or flawed"". In February 2013, it was revealed that Nikki would be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). Jillian Bowe of Zap2it said viewers got ""a bit of shock when they saw the socialite’s hands shake after she tickled the ivories in her new deluxe apartment."" Scott discussed the storyline with ""TV Guide"". She said she wants the story to ""educate people"" that it's ""controllable with the proper treatment"". It should be noted, however, that not all people can easily ""control"" their MS. MS is a highly variable and often disabling disease, and effects each person very differently. Scott met a"
"hoping I don't get kicked out of my own movie."" Brad Cohen Brad Cohen is an American motivational speaker, teacher, school administrator, and author who has severe Tourette syndrome (TS). Cohen described his experiences growing up with the condition in his book, ""Front of the Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had"", co-authored with Lisa Wysocky. The book has been made into a Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie titled ""Front of the Class"", and adapted into a hit Bollywood film ""Hichki"". During his childhood, Cohen was accused of being a troublemaker in school and was"
"her taste in punk rock music and her fondness for Hello Kitty. The first housemate Abernathy greeted was Jacquese Smith, with whom she first entered the ""Real World"" house and with whom MTV believes she may have been the closest during their stay there. Abernathy had cystic fibrosis, which she was diagnosed with at the age of three. During her time on ""The Real World"", she showed many symptoms of the genetic disorder, such as difficulty breathing and immune-system impairment. Her disease was a significant part of her storyline on the show. Of those living with cystic fibrosis, fewer than"
"Each block of videos was followed by a segment filmed in New York City with Hanley introducing the videos, discussing American music and culture, and interviewing a celebrity. RTÉ described him as Europe's first VJ (video jockey). In 1987, Hanley died shortly after his 33rd birthday. He had been visibly ill for some time, and was rumoured to have an AIDS-related illness, which he denied. This reflected the stigma then associated with the disease and with homosexuality in Ireland, which was not decriminalised until 1993. The illness admitted by Hanley was congenital cerebral toxoplasmosis, described as an ""eye disorder""; he"
"of her sons has been diagnosed with Down syndrome. She states that music is what still keeps her and Kieran together after nearly 30 years of marriage. Doyle Kennedy, Kieran, and their four sons currently live together in Dublin. Doyle Kennedy considers music to be the most integral aspect of her life, and she prefers her musical endeavors over her acting ones. She states ""I do not miss acting when I am not doing it, but I would not spend a day without singing, even to myself."" She still experiences nerves before she sings on stage, but she has learned"
"News in New York. She also was a producer for the television program ""Evening Magazine"" at station WBZ-TV in Boston. With her brother Ted, Kennedy co-managed her father's successful 1988 re-election campaign. Kennedy produced films for VSA arts, formerly known as Very Special Arts, an organization founded by her aunt Jean Kennedy Smith to encourage participation in the arts by persons with disabilities. One of Kennedy's best known projects was a film she produced on Chris Burke, the actor with Down syndrome who starred in the television series ""Life Goes On"". She revealed that the film project had as much"
"his mechanic's job. Corky abandons his wife and heads for Georgia in his pink Plymouth Barracuda with a friend, Billy. He enters and wins a small race along the way, but drinks and gambles away the prize money at a roadhouse. A sympathetic Randy realizes that Peggy Jo has been left with no money and prospects, so he gives her Corky's back wages plus a job. She also finds a second job and takes classes trying to earn a high-school diploma. By the time Corky reaches Atlanta, he is almost dead broke and is not given a chance to drive"
"""poetic, reflective, rather solitary...as a father he was weak."" Their relationship was ""distant"", but improved after his mother's death in 1977. Starkey was born with two club feet. One was fixed early, while the other had to be operated on several times. He also suffered from polio. He suffered a nervous breakdown at secondary school, aged 13, and was taken by his mother to a boarding house in Southport, where he spent several months recovering. Starkey blamed the episode on the unfamiliar experience of being in a ""highly competitive environment"". He ultimately excelled at Kendal Grammar School, winning debating prizes"
"really likes Nancy, and she feels the same for him. But on a vacation to California, Nancy meets Corky, a 12-year-old who has an obvious crush on her. When Ned visits Nancy for her birthday, Corky is rude to Ned on purpose to make him jealous. Then whenever Nancy tries to explain who Ned is to Corky, she avoids mentioning that he is her boyfriend, so Corky's feelings don't get hurt. Ned is so insecure that he thinks Nancy has a crush on Corky also. But in the end, Nancy expresses her true feelings towards Ned, and Corky and Nancy"
"to go sailing over the Fourth of July weekend. Blood tests showed that McCarthy had a lack of platelets, and he was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, a condition that frequently develops into leukemia. McCarthy continued to host his show for a short time, but he became more absent, until he left the air completely at the end of July. His plight became public, and soon bone marrow drives were held all over the Detroit area where thousands of people took tests in hope that their bone marrow would help McCarthy recover. In August, McCarthy flew to New York City where"
"Corky, but has a love-hate relationship with Becca. Tyler was the first boyfriend of Becca in the show, and was Corky's best friend and was one of the most popular Athletes at their School. Tyler had a brother with Downs which is why he looked out for Corky and never treated him as bad as the other Jocks would, and everytime one of his Jock buddies decided to bully Corky around him, he stood up for Corky. As the series goes on, Tyler became a Super senior for never passing certain classes in the past, and his relationship with Becca"
"legs and a club foot, he employed a wheelchair to get around. His other afflictions included stork bite which gave him a ""blotchy"" complexion and Ehlers–Danlos syndrome, which resulted in gnarled fingers. Eric initially called in on September 19, 2002 to discuss ""American Idol"". Lynch had called to respond to Stern's statements that contestant Kelly Clarkson was not overly attractive. Stern initially talked to Lynch with mild enthusiasm, but after an extended discussion regarding Lynch's unique voice and speaking style, Lynch revealed that he was tall, which piqued Stern's interest. Eric was frequently at odds with ""The Howard Stern Show"","
"named Jesse (Chad Lowe). Jesse, a junior, met Becca through the school's theatre department. As the two became friends, Jesse told Becca he was HIV-positive. Tyler became a less prominent figure in Becca's life, and was jealous of Becca's closeness with Jesse. The character of Tyler was soon written out of the show; he was given the memorable sendoff of dying in a car accident with Corky as a passenger. Much to the surprise of those around them, Becca and Jesse began a relationship despite his HIV. The writers began to explore life with HIV through Jesse's character, and the"
"in the first leg (including two that missed the board completely) to set up a double. Hankey was then seen rubbing his left eye repeatedly and losing his balance, and Van Gerwen eventually won the match 5–0 with a 90 average. Afterwards, Hankey was accused by many of being inebriated on stage, but was initially diagnosed with a heavy chest infection which he claimed affected his synapses. However, after further tests, two days later it was revealed that Hankey had suffered a 'stroke', had very high cholesterol and diabetes and needed six to eight weeks rest, which ruled him out"
"Brad Cohen Brad Cohen is an American motivational speaker, teacher, school administrator, and author who has severe Tourette syndrome (TS). Cohen described his experiences growing up with the condition in his book, ""Front of the Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had"", co-authored with Lisa Wysocky. The book has been made into a Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie titled ""Front of the Class"", and adapted into a hit Bollywood film ""Hichki"". During his childhood, Cohen was accused of being a troublemaker in school and was punished by his teachers for the tics and noises caused"
"more. One night, he fell down the stairs. He was discovered the next morning on the floor by his housekeeper. He was rushed to the local hospital where pneumonia in one lung was treated effectively and efficiently, a fracture near his hip was repaired and he was diagnosed with brain damage. We were to learn he had Korsakoff's syndrome (an alcohol-related condition) and we decided to keep it private. Korsakoff's syndrome is a form of amnesia seen in chronic alcoholics; briefly stated, victims eat too little and drink too much. After his death, controversial Melbourne-based 3AW radio broadcaster Derryn Hinch"
"and Louisiana over the previous year. Some of the book's proceeds are donated to charity. The book topped ""The New York Times"" Best Seller list on June 18, 2006. Cooper has two older half-brothers, Leopold Stanislaus ""Stan"" Stokowski (b. 1950), and Christopher Stokowski (b. 1952), from Gloria Vanderbilt's ten-year marriage to the conductor Leopold Stokowski. He said to Oprah Winfrey—while promoting his book—that he had suffered from dyslexia as a child. In August 2007, he confirmed his ""mild dyslexia"" on ""The Tonight Show"" to Jay Leno, who also has dyslexia. Cooper is openly gay; according to ""The New York Times"","
"weighed , had a hacking cough and was suffering from a brain lesion. When asked about his ex-girlfriend Elena Monica who accused him of infecting her with HIV, Sharkey said, ""This disease is funny. One day you're negative and the next day you're positive. And people suffer. I don't think she suffered from me."" Monica won her lawsuit against Sharkey by default judgment after his death (Sharkey declined to challenge her suit when it was originally filed), but she received no compensation from his estate because the actor had very little money. On June 11, 1993, Sharkey died of complications"
"Mihok is also an active supporter of the Tourette Syndrome Association. Mihok's two older sisters both have Tourette's. Other family members also have the syndrome, as it is often genetic. Mihok said that one of the early reasons he became an actor was because he had so much experience in hiding his Tourette's. He said the focus required of acting allows him to mask many of his tics. Mihok says the biggest misconception about Tourette's Syndrome is about vocal tics, called coprolalia. Not everyone with Tourette's does that: ""Tics tend to wax and wane, not everybody's screaming obscenities all the"
"23 that she was diagnosed with the rare connective tissue disorder, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Type III hypermobility type. She has used a wheelchair ever since. In 2003 she landed a part in the daytime TV soap ""Doctors"", playing a girl with multiple sclerosis. More TV work followed, including appearances in ""The Bill"", ""Holby City"", ""Emmerdale"" and the cult comedy series ""Little Britain"", where she played the girlfriend of wheelchair-user Andy Pipkin, played by Matt Lucas. In 2006 she was one of the main characters in the BBC3 comedy ""I'm with Stupid"" playing Dorothy. In 2010 she landed the part of Izzy"