ABC Television Network has just announced a brand new television show called “Miracle Workers” (yesterday’s press release .pdf). This medical reality TV series is scheduled to start on March 6.
Show’s description by ABC Medianet:
When a person’s life is on the line and doctors insist that nothing more can be done, it’s time to turn to the “Miracle Workers.” “Miracle Workers,” a life-changing new series about real people overcoming insurmountable odds with the help of an elite team of medical professionals, will debut midseason on the ABC Television Network…
Each week, the show will feature two stories of ordinary people who do not have the network, access to the necessary medical community or in some cases the resources to these procedures. Their seemingly overwhelming medical problems will be taken in hand by a renowned team of medical specialists. The patients’ lives will be transformed before viewers’ eyes as the professionals employ cutting-edge medical technology to heal those who need it most. The team will not only restore the patients’ health, but their hope in living a whole life again.
The series will show the patients’ entire journey, from first consultation with their team of doctors, to the medical procedure itself, to the effect this life-changing event will have on them and their loved ones. State-of-the-art special effects will take viewers inside the patients’ bodies, showing in detail the incredible medical transformation taking place.
The first episode will include the story of four-year-old Adrian Keller, a toddler with a seemingly insurmountable infirmity. Adrian has Vater’s Association or Syndrome, which is a life-shortening condition. He has five fused ribs on his left rib cage, which creates a large sized bump on his left chest. His left side is different from his right. The condition has forced his spinal cord to curve to accommodate his fused rib cage, leaving his head always tilted and his back shaped like a question mark.
Adrian’s family lives from paycheck-to-paycheck in a small apartment in Chula Vista, CA. Both his parents work and have some medical insurance, but the family is struggling to afford the co-pays necessary to provide the little boy with the help he needs. Through “Miracle Workers,” Adrian may just get that chance – a cutting edge surgery involving a titanium rod. This recently approved, rarely performed surgery would implant an expandable prosthesis made of titanium in a vertical position, attached to an upper and lower rib. If the procedure is successful, he might just have the chance to stand tall.
Ethical? Unethical? Good? Bad? Should we judge before it starts?
The Miracle Workers promo page…