Saturday, July 23, 2011

Thank you to Mix 107.3's Tom Grooms and the Spectrum Program: Angelman Syndrome, Seizures, and Much More


Although I have done a television interview about Angelman Syndrome before, my first radio interview was much more nerve racking. The day started out calmly enough, as I was off from work, although I did not get a lot of sleep the night before. A bit of play time at Dave and Buster's, basically the adult version of Chuckie Cheese playing skeeball and other games while having a beer, calmed me down immensely. The drive into D.C. was a whole other adventure all by itself, because coming in through Maryland, required putting the "pedal to the metal," and driving down the narrows lanes of Wisconsin Avenue through the busiest part of the Nation's Capital. After a another couple of hours of taking a walk, that was possible due to the kindness of a security officer in charge of the stations parking garage, I sat down with Tom Grooms and his show the Spectrum. This was aired on WMAL AM 630, 105.9 the Edge(my personal favorite), and Mix 107.3, all of which are owned by the Citadel Broadcasting Corporation.

Tom is truly a kind spirit, and put me at ease before our taping started. He is a professional in every regard, and came up with a way to help me prepare for this interview. A big thanks also goes to Devar Burbage from the Angelman Syndrome Foundation, whom is now my "new muse," and "safety system," in many ways. Sitting in the studio was interesting, as I was in a soundproof room, that was tiny, and in front of perhaps the biggest microphone known to humanity. It was a bit intimidating at first, but thanks to Tom's guidance, the interview went fairly smoothly. With more experience, I hope that there will be improvement, but it is so kind of Tom Grooms for making this happen. Three stations on a Sunday morning played this show, which has a link down below.

I would like to thank a kind New Zealander named Darren Humphries. He is an angel on Earth, as he has also faced the pain of losing a child to seizures, and has continued Elijah's legacy with grace and courage. Darren was able to reach out to me after I lost my son Tommy to a seizure, all the way from across the globe, which is proof that love and compassion have no borders, nor is it hampered by distance. He also made this recording link possible, as he helped guide my lack of technological skills with Skype, and produced this from a CD given to me that was kindly recorded by Tom Groom's son, whom I had the pleasure of meeting while in the studio. Without further adieu, here is the program, and thanks to all whom made this happen. One day a cure for Angelman Syndrome and seizures that affect not only angels but kids and adults that have other conditions, will be discovered.

http://www.4shared.com/audio/EV9nTKTb/Mike_Ross_Radio_Interview.html

No comments:

Post a Comment