Kids who are suffering from terminal illnesses share their stories and their appreciation for life in a brand-new NICK NEWS WITH LINDA ELLERBEE special, "Before I Go... Living with Dying," premiering tonight, August 23, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon.
In their dying, kids teach people the real meaning of courage and grace. They also serve as a reminder that they are just kids handling the hardest thing in life--leaving it. For many kids who are dying, it's clear they want to control their own lives for as long as possible.
Rhett, who's suffering from cancer says, "I made the decision to have no more treatment. Life to me is more fun and entertaining because I play with my brother and my dog outside in the warm weather... and it's more fun than just sitting there in a hospital bed dying slowly."
Nohemy, 15, from Norwalk, Calif., who was diagnosed with Stage IV brain cancer, wants some control over what happens after she dies. "For my funeral I don't want anyone to have depressing colors. I want them all to be wearing blue or white. I don't want any sad music. I'd rather have uplifting music."
"Each person is his or her own life story, and just because one person's story may be shorter than another doesn't mean it's worth less," says Ellerbee. "When kids are dying, they often teach the rest of us how to live."
As Nohemy says, "Death is a part of life and I'm trying to live every day like it's my last."
Nick News, produced by Lucky Duck Productions, is now in its 24th year and is the longest-running kids' news show in television history. It has built its reputation on the respectful and direct way it speaks to kids about the important issues of the day. Over the years, Nick News has received more than 21 Emmy nominations and won its tenth Emmy Award for Forgotten But Not Gone: Kids, HIV & AIDS in the category of Outstanding Children's Nonfiction Program. Additional Emmy wins for outstanding children's programming include: Under the Influence: Kids of Alcoholics (2011); (The Face of Courage: Kids Living with Cancer (2010); Coming Home: When Parents Return from War (2009); The Untouchable Kids of India (2008); Private Worlds: Kids and Autism (2007); Never Again: From the Holocaust to the Sudan (2005); Faces of Hope: The Kids of Afghanistan (2002) and What Are You Staring At? (1998). In 1995, the entire series won the Emmy. In 2009, Nick News was honored with the Edward R. Murrow Award for best Network News Documentary for Coming Home: When Parents Return from War - the first-ever kids' television program to receive this prestigious award. Nick News has also received three Peabody Awards, including a personal award given to Ellerbee for explaining the impeachment of President Clinton to kids, as well as a Columbia duPont Award and more than a dozen Parents' Choice Awards.
Nickelodeon, now in its 36th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in almost 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 20 consecutive years.
Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).
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