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PARENTS WHO RECEIVED HATE-FILLED LETTER DIRECTED AT THEIR AUTISTIC CHILD SPEAK OUT on “THE DOCTORS,” FRIDAY OCTOBER 25
PARENTS WHO RECEIVED HATE-FILLED LETTER DIRECTED AT THEIR
AUTISTIC CHILD SPEAK OUT on “THE DOCTORS,” FRIDAY OCTOBER 25
Anonymous Neighbor Writes, “Do The Right Thing And Move Or Euthanize Him!”
(HOLLYWOOD – October 24, 2013) – The Emmy®-winning syndicated daytime talk show, THE DOCTORS, speaks to the parents of a severely autistic child who received a hate-filled letter, calling their child “retarded” and suggesting the family “move or euthanize” their son, on Friday, October 25 (check your local listings).
Jim & Karla Begley of Oshawa, Ontario have two sons with autism, a 15 year-old with high-functioning autism, and 13 year-old Max, diagnosed as severely autistic and non-verbal at a young age and the target of the letter. Signed “One pissed off mother,” the letter calls Max “a hindrance to everyone,” and goes on to say, “Who the hell is going to care for him? No employer will hire him, no normal girl is going to marry/love him and you are not going to live forever! Personally, they should take whatever non retarded body parts he possesses and donate it to science. What the hell else good is he to anyone!!! You had a retarded kid, deal with it.”
“I have never in my life read a letter filled with this type of hatred,” said THE DOCTORS’ co-host Dr. Travis Stork. The Begleys, who are also dealing with Karla’s multiple sclerosis, try to convey the pain they felt after receiving the letter. “Our life is very challenging,” said Jim, “and to have a sick person write this letter towards our family, it’s very frustrating and really hurts.”
Since the incident, the Begleys noted that their hometown has rallied behind Max to support him, and Jim added, “We’re hoping that a show like this can help educate the general public about autism and things will get better.”
Tune in this Friday, October 25 (check local listings) for the complete interview and hear from autism expert Areva Martin who offers the Begleys suggestions for better communication with their son and offers hope for other families dealing with autistic children. Also, meet a father with stage 4 melanoma who was denied a potentially life-saving treatment. Plus, a former show guest reveals how she dropped 140 pounds in just one year.
CLIP LINK: http://tinyurl.com/drsvideo
Clips are Courtesy of CBS Television Distribution / Stage 29 Productions, LLC.
Media Contact:
Marc Grossmann
Sr. Publicist
323.956.8789
