Michigan Matters: Mary Tyler Moore still impacting the world
(CBS DETROIT) — Mary Tyler Moore turned the world on with her megawatt smile as she starred in the iconic "Dick Van Dyke" and "Mary Tyler Moore" shows a generation ago.
She died of complications from diabetes at the age of 80 in 2017, as she spent the last half of her life helping to raise over $2 billion for research and awareness about the disease.
Her legacy continues as her husband, Dr. S. Robert Levine, talked about on CBS Detroit's Michigan Matters as he started the Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative after her death to help find a cure for blindness associated with diabetes, which she suffered from.
Levine talked about the initiative, which, along with the University of Michigan and the Joslin Diabetes Center, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, and others, gathered at the Third Annual Fall Symposium on Curing Vision Loss from Diabetes held in Ypsilanti last month.
Levine also talked about their first public service announcement released a few months ago narrated by actor Kevin Kline with remarks from Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Oprah Winfrey and Reese Witherspoon to educate folks about the need for medical research toward the cure of diabetic retinal disease.
Raising awareness for mental health
Then it's a focus on the importance of mental health as Eric Hipple, former Detroit Lions quarterback and now mental health activist, Melissa Oleshansky, a clinical health psychologist at Rochester Center for Behavioral Medicine, and Dr. Joe Vercellone, president of Birmingham Village Players and also a doctor at Henry Ford Health, talk about.
Hipple, who works with numerous organizations, discussed the disease's impact on young people.
Dr. Vercellone talked about a play the Birmingham Village Players recently staged tied to the topic of mental health. He explained why they are focusing on it. Oleshanksky talked about the importance of raising awareness about mental health and wellness.
(Watch Michigan Matters at its new time: 5:30 a.m. Sundays on CBS Detroit, 9:30 a.m. Sundays on Detroit 50 WKBD.)
(Carol Cain is the 13-time Emmy-winning senior producer and host of Michigan)
