Contact:
Joe Muehlenkamp
Phone: 314.977.8015
muehlenk@slu.edu

August 11, 2003

ST. LOUIS - Few people realize that more than 25 million Americans suffer from liver and biliary disease, and some may be unaware that Saint Louis University and Saint Louis University Hospital are home to a national center for the research and treatment of these diseases, having treated celebrities such as Naomi Judd. "Denim & Diamonds" will enlighten, while entertaining, the uninformed.

"Denim & Diamonds" is a two-evening gala event to benefit public education, research and treatment of liver disease. On Sept. 12, Willie Nelson will headline "Denim," a concert at The Pageant to benefit the Saint Louis University Liver Center and the Julia Spears Foundation for Liver Disease. On Sept. 13, "Diamonds" will feature Naomi Judd offering hope and inspiration by speaking at a black-tie dinner at the Ritz-Carlton St. Louis to benefit the Saint Louis University Liver Center.

"When I was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 1990, many doctors told me there was little to no hope for a treatment, and that I would only live another three years, but Dr. Bacon and his team at the Saint Louis University Liver Center thought new treatments on which he was working could halt the progression of the disease," explains Naomi Judd.

"Thanks to Dr. Bacon and his team, since May 1997 my blood tests have shown that the hepatitis is gone."

"Each day we are discovering that more people are suffering from liver disease, especially hepatitis C and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, yet many feel there's little hope after being diagnosed," says Dr. Bruce Bacon, director of the SLUCare division of gastroenterology and hepatology at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine. "The purpose of Denim & Diamonds is to provide education on prevention and treatment options while raising funds for our research."

Willie Nelson's involvement in "Denim & Diamonds" is due to Julia Spears, the wife of Willie's bassist, who is being treated for hepatitis C by SLUCare physicians and Saint Louis University Liver Center researchers. Willie's bassist is Bee Spears.

On Sept. 13, SLU's Julius Hunter will serve as the master of ceremonies during the black-tie "Diamonds" dinner, while KTRS-AM radio personality Dave Schumacher will be the auctioneer.

The outpouring of support for "Denim & Diamonds" goes beyond the celebrity involvement. A highlight of the "Diamonds" black-tie dinner is a raffle drawing for a stunning two-carat-plus diamond set in platinum donated by Barbara Harter Bowman Jewelers in honor of Barbara's departed friend Patty Phelan, who was stricken by liver cancer. Auction item highlights include a guitar autographed by Willie Nelson, Nora Jones, Kris Kristofferson, Lyle Lovett, Toby Keith, and Sheryl Crowe, and a two-night stay and golf outing at the famed Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif.

Tickets are sold out for the Sept. 12. Nelson concert. For more information about the Sept. 13 black-tie dinner, contact the Friends of the Saint Louis University Liver Center at (314) 576-3078.

Related Links:

• Visit the Saint Louis University Liver Center website.