Spend Saturday With the Soap Stars

For Nancy Lee Grahn, art is imitating reality: On General Hospital, her character, Alexis Davis, has been a source of emotional support for her friend and colleague Gregory Chase, who suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease). On May 4, Grahn will be hosting Daytime Unites to Help End ALS.

During the pandemic, Grahn conducted Zoom events to stay connected with her fans. It was through one such event that she befriended Michelle, a woman who has been battling the neurodegenerative disease since 2018. From Michelle, Grahn learned that the disease is not only incurable, but also underfunded. The benefit will support ALS One, a nonprofit organization that provides care to people afflicted with ALS while striving to find a cure for it.

This event encompasses the daytime soap opera world in its entirety, as it will feature the stars of not only GH, but also of the three other soaps currently airing. It will take place at the Embassy Suites by Hilton, in Glendale, California, and Jonathan Frakes, the husband of GH’s Genie Francis (Laura Collins), will serve as emcee.

Among the event’s festivities are a Q & A and a meet and greet with the actors in attendance. Tickets are available at three levels, with a limited number available for the top two. You can also purchase a ticket solely for the evening concert with East Bay Soul.

Technically, ALS is not new to the soap world. Michael Zaslow was stricken with the disease while playing Roger Thorpe on the CBS soap Guiding Light. He was let go, and a few years later he resumed the role of One Life to Live’s David Renaldi, which he Had played for several years in the ’80s; however, OLTL had Renaldi be an ALS sufferer, and Zaslow was wheelchair bound and used a voice synthesizer to communicate. In 1998 he succumbed to the disease at the age of fifty-four.

To purchase tickets or make a donation for the benefit, please go to https://www.classy.org/event/daytime-unites-to-help-end-als/e545685.