Gordon Sterling is excited about the upcoming Labor Day weekend.
And it's not because he gets to take time off from his job as a software engineer at Analog Devices in Norwood.
Nor is it the prospect of a holiday barbecue.
The 46-year-old Norfolk resident is excited because he will be a special guest on the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association Labor Day Telethon this weekend. Channel 5 annually televises the event.
"I have never been on television before," said Sterling. "It will be my 15 minutes of fame."
Sterling will be honored with the 2009 Robert Ross Personal Achievement Award, given to a person who has one of the 43 types of muscular dystrophy and is registered with the MDA.
"For all of his adult life, Gordon has worked very hard in his business and endeavors. Despite the fact that he has a physical disability, he has excelled," said Mary Leeman, MDA health care services coordinator.-
Dr. Brian Tseng, a neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, nominated him for the award. Tseng, who has watched Sterling battle Duchenne muscular dystrophy, will present it to him.
"His courage, optimism, and enjoyment of life are something that we should take to heart. He is a true role model," said Tseng. "He should get the award every year."
Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a degenerative disease that primarily affects voluntary muscles, the MDA says. About 1 in 3,500 males are born with the disorder worldwide.
Sterling's life story will be told in a segment aired during the telethon.
Sterling was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy when he was 6. His parents noticed he was experiencing weakness on a school field day and took him to a pediatrician, then to a neurologist.
"The doctors were fairly certain that it was Duchenne muscular dystrophy because of my shin muscles and balance issues," said Sterling.
At 12, Sterling began using a wheelchair. By 22, a ventilator helped him breathe.
He now uses a wheelchair full time and has a feeding tube.
"I have a lot of medical adaptations," he said. "But I am working full time and I am able to get out into the world. So I feel very good."
He earned a bachelor's in electrical engineering in 1985 from Tufts University and served a fellowship at the Center for Advanced Engineering Study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Sterling assists others suffering from muscular dystrophy. Last year he spoke at the Pediatric Neuromuscular DMD Family Roundtable at Massachusetts General Hospital. He also devotes time to the MDA.
Tseng has gotten Sterling to look into experimental testing.
"Dr. Tseng helped me do a genetic test to try and determine the specific mutation I have that may have caused the (muscular dystrophy)," he said.
Experimental treatments focus on the aspect of the disease found through genetic testing, Sterling said. No experimental treatments have yet matched with Sterling, but he is optimistic. "I am keeping my eyes open," he said.
Daily News staff writer Lindsay Briggs can be reached at 781-433-8339 or libriggs@cnc.com.
