Permobil Auctions Corpus C500 for ALS Foundation
Actor James Woods utilized a specially-equipped wheelchair for his role as a person with Lou Gehrig's disease in the NBC series "ER." He was nominated for an Emmy for his performance on the episode, "Body and Soul." The C500 Corpus model wheelchair was donated to The Association by Permobil Inc., and the hands-free eye communication system was donated by Eye Response Technologies. The C500 used on the show is now being auctioned to raise money for the ALS Foundation.
Permobil's C500 that transported actor James Woods portraying a person with ALS on an episode of NBC's critically-acclaimed "ER" last season will be auctioned online at cMarket at www.alsa.cmarket.com
The ALS Association will use proceeds from the auction to fund research and programs for people living with Lou Gehrig's disease.
"James Woods' portrayal of Dr. Nate Lennox was a watershed moment in the quest to raise public awareness about this devastating disease," said Gary A. Leo, the president and CEO of The Association. "The winning bidder will own a piece of television history and help us enormously in helping others."
Woods, who was nominated for an Emmy for the role, and the cast of "ER," signed the C500, a front-wheel drive model that works indoors and outdoors and offers its users a variety of practical functions.
Before "ER" was filmed, The Association arranged for Woods to meet with six people with ALS. They provided him with advice on how to play the role of Dr. Nate Lennox, while The Association served as a technical consultant to the episode, "Body and Soul."
After Woods was nominated for his latest Emmy, he told the Hollywood Reporter that the people with ALS he met with "let him into their lives," an experience he called "spiritually affecting." "They wre incredibly brave people," Woods said. "They were essentially baring their souls. They were all so giving, with everything they did."
The ALS Association is the nation's only national not-for- profit voluntary health organization dedicated solely to the fight against ALS.
This article originally appeared in the September 2006 issue of HME Business.