This is topic Alice Walker had Lyme-Tell Oprah? in forum Medical Questions at LymeNet Flash.


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Posted by humanbeing (Member # 8572) on :
 
Remember how we were talking about getting Oprah to do something on lyme? Well check out this , in a recent interview on her Color Purple musical, Alice Walker tells the interview she had lyme...
for entire interview http://www.alternet.org/story/32215/

"Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker opens up about activism, love, writing and the rebirth of 'The Color Purple' as a Broadway musical.

Last month, one thousand people gathered at a church in Oakland, Calif., to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Media Alliance. Onstage at the event, Amy Goodman of syndicated radio show Democracy Now! interviewed Alice Walker. What follows is an edited transcript of Goodman's interview

(I found this 3/4th of the way down the interview)

"....That anybody reading "The Color Purple" or seeing the film, actually, that they could read it and see the film and still think that I hated ... my father, my grandfather, my brothers, my uncles, just because they were black men; and, you know, this would mean that I hated Langston Hughes or Jean Toomer or Richard Wright or Ralph Ellison or -- it felt so incredibly mean. It felt very mean, it felt very small, and it was very painful.

AG: And so how did you get through it?

AW: Well, I came down with Lyme disease in the middle of all of this, and I experienced it actually as a spiritual transformation, even though I didn't know that was going to be the result. It was very frightening.

But I came out the other end of the bashing that I had received, the physical debilitation from Lyme disease, the breakup of my relationship with a partner at the time.

I came out of all of that with a renewed sense that life itself, no matter what people are slinging at you, no matter what is happening, life itself is incredibly precious and wonderful, and that we are so lucky that we wake up in the morning, that we hear a bird, that we ...

You know, just if you think about little things, they seem little, but they are so magical, you know, like eating a peach.

I came through that period understanding that I am an expression of the divine, just like a peach is, just like a fish is.

I have a right to be this way. And being this way, "The Color Purple" is the kind of work that comes to me. I can't apologize for that, nor can I change it, nor do I want to.

So there was this marvelous feeling, you know, that I had already been through a kind of crucifixion by critics. ... And not to compare myself with Jesus, but I really got it, that there is a point at which a certain kind of crucifixion leads to a certain kind of freedom, because you cannot be contained by other people's opinions of you.

You will always, I think, after you go through this kind of thing, feel somewhat removed, as I do. You know, I basically stopped reading reviews. And it's fine. I have realized I don't need them.

I really feel that if more people could pay less attention to other people's opinions of them, they would be so much happier.
 

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Posted by Andie333 (Member # 7370) on :
 
Hey, Human!

Thanks for posting this.

She also writes about it (briefly) in her book, The Same River Twice.

Reading what you posted today about the gifts this ultimately gave her was really inspiring for me today.

Andie
 

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Posted by Linda LD (Member # 6663) on :
 
Amen!
 

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Posted by Foggy (Member # 1584) on :
 
Many of us tried to make Oprah aware of our plight and the suffering of those with Lyme to no avail.

I was told by a friend of a producer that they don't accept unsolicited show ideas and that we should send the suggestion on the web site.

Needless to say, slim chance of that being effective either.

We need a Dayrl Hall or preferably higher profile celeb to champion this cause.
 

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Posted by cantgiveupyet (Member # 8165) on :
 
It was inspiring for me as well. Ive already notieced a change within me that I never would have recived if it wasnt for this disease.

Ive stepped back, slowed down ......i really have gone thru a transformation......now if only i could get to the other side.
 

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Posted by tequeslady (Member # 6832) on :
 
Go for it, humanbeing! There's a place to submit show ideas on Oprah's website.

It never hurts to try.
 

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Posted by Somerset (Member # 7534) on :
 
"Hello Everyone," I e-mailed Oprah for the 3rd time last week about Alice Walker. I hope these celebrities have a good reasons for not making the public aware of what Lyme Disease can do. I'm sure they can go about it and not get into any trouble. I'll keep trying. "Peace be with us all", Robin
 

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Posted by humanbeing (Member # 8572) on :
 
Yea Robin


I will e-mail her today through her website too. Maybe if we all send her a brief note about

the growing epidemic, celebs, first lyme clinic opening, our personal struggles, etc... it will seem like a real ground swell

Let's try it! The link below should take you to a page where you can post your story for future show ideas...Keep it brief but real.

What do we have to loose? (not that I even have the energy to go on the oprah show..writing the e-mail is hard enough)

https://www.oprah.com/plugger/templates/BeOnTheShow.jhtml?action=respond&plugId=B2100004
 

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Posted by Somerset (Member # 7534) on :
 
Dear humanbeing, Maybe if enough Lymies e-mail into Oprah, they might find that it would be worth doing a show, rememember there's strength in numbers!!!!!!!!!!! Robin
 

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Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
 
Go for it. We've tried for at least 5 yrs to get her to listen. Don't know what it will take.
 

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Posted by tequeslady (Member # 6832) on :
 
Yes, Lymetoo, but if we give up, we most assuredly will not get anywhere.
 

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Posted by mlkeen (Member # 1260) on :
 
Maybe if Gayle got lyme O would listen! It has to hit close to home for most people to understand.

Mel
 

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Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by mlkeen:
Maybe if Gayle got lyme O would listen! It has to hit close to home for most people to understand.

Mel

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Hey! "Gayle" HAS Lyme!! ME!!
 

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Posted by trails (Member # 1620) on :
 
I was wondering how Alice Walker was doing lately.

--coz I never see her anymore and she wrote about Lyme as Andie said, in her book The Same River Twice, but has NOT spoken about Lyme since, that I know of.

IS she "cured?" Is she still needing treatment?

I wonder why she is not part of the Lyme Literatie?

She has spoken so eloquently about so many issues that are dear to my heart, I wish there was more of her to go around!

She just put out a new book--African american displays are showing it...maybe Oprah would book her just for that? And then she'd just TALK about Lyme-coz it obviously had a BIG impact on her. Life changing.

Thank you for posting this!
 

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Posted by painted turtle (Member # 7801) on :
 
Thanks for sharing this!!

I was just today taking a walk!! A steps in the right direction thinking....hmmmm, is this when the journey of this illness can become an opportunity?

And then to read about Alic Walker, I never knew she had lyme. We do not know her treatment or outcome either, I'd be curious.

I wrote to Oprah a couple weeks ago. Kept is brief and objective and mentioned Amy Tan but said I wouldn't want to go on her show.

Thanks again for this inspiring way to look at the disease of lyme. I think if I can just let go of the worries and fears it brings about surviving, so much more good can come from it to me and any I may eventually be able to share and help.
 

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Posted by cutie (Member # 8468) on :
 
wow...Alice Walker is from Georgia too. Hmm..that's funny, I'm from Georgia and we don't "have Lyme" down here.
 

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Posted by trails (Member # 1620) on :
 
She got Lyme from a tick by her house in Santa Rosa, California.

They dont have Lyme there either!


 

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Posted by santa_pax (Member # 8318) on :
 
Holey moley

Why is it that so many "famous" Lymies are authors? Amy Tan, Meg Cabot, Rebecca Wells, Alice Walker....and more yet.....

Do they spend time more time than others in the woods communing with nature for inspiration?
 

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Posted by duramater (Member # 6480) on :
 
What is hoped to be accomplished by having Oprah do a show on Lyme? Do you think that she will JUST put out the ongoing infection theory? And if she does, what do you expect to actually change?
 

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Posted by Foggy (Member # 1584) on :
 
I'm thinking that contacting Oprah's or Alice's publicist may be more effective than blindly emailing the show.

Durameter, Oprah has huge brand identiy, millions of adoring fans and the ability to champion a cause and raise lots of $. She alone could enable the doors of the Columbia Center to open and help grow the endowment. That would be a HUGE "change" for all of us.

[ 16. February 2006, 06:46 PM: Message edited by: Foggy ]
 

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Posted by welcome (Member # 7953) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Foggy:

We need a Dayrl Hall or preferably higher profile celeb to champion this cause.

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Aren't there any ticks in Crawford, TX.?

 

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Posted by Soleilpie (Member # 8481) on :
 
For what it's worth, I went ahead and submitted a request that Oprah do a story on Lyme disease. It can't hurt to try and if a large number of us show an interest in this subject, she may be inclined to consider it. If she shows an interest in it, who knows what other public figure will. All we can do is try to get her attention. Let's cross our fingers!
 

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Posted by Somerset (Member # 7534) on :
 
"Foggy", Great response, I'm going to keep trying you just never know,if not Oprah eventually someone will listen. Strength & Peace be with us all. Robin
 

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Posted by Gretchen P (Member # 8403) on :
 
I just emailed Oprah, we need to keep it going. As they say the squeaky wheel gets the grease! I say we squeak away! I think if we could get a few emails a day off to her she is bound to listen! But what do I know, I just have lyme disease.
 

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Posted by AP (Member # 8430) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by duramater:
What is hoped to be accomplished by having Oprah do a show on Lyme? Do you think that she will JUST put out the ongoing infection theory? And if she does, what do you expect to actually change?

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quote:

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Originally posted by welcome:

quote:

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Originally posted by Foggy:

We need a Dayrl Hall or preferably higher profile celeb to champion this cause.

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Aren't there any ticks in Crawford, TX.?

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quote:

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Originally posted by docjen:
Thanks humanbeing for posting the beautiful words of Alice Walker. It is good to come back to this when we are feeling badly.

This is just an observation, and please no one take offense...but I have been on lots of different health boards over the years (after differing and incorrect diagnoses) and it seems like the issue of contacting Oprah to do a show comes up on every one of them. For example: fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, endometriosis... and I have never seen her do a show on any of these. In fact, other than health issues which impact Oprah herself (mammogram, colonoscopy) she doesn't seem to really do health shows, and particularly not too many disease specific shows. If you want to go this route, it seems like it might be better to target a more likely outlet: maybe CNN Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Dr. Mehmet Oz, or some other health correspondent who will be looking particularly for "health" stories to fill up their daily/weekly pieces. Just my thoughts on this. No flames, please!

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