NEWS

WIRES

OTHER

Media Personality Named National Spokesperson

They said Shannon Rose would be wheelchair-bound and couldn't be like other folks.

The experts aren't always right. Rose, 34, is the founder and owner of Eclectic Media Productions, a rapidly-growing National PR company based in Tampa, Florida. And it's fitting that a man who makes his living telling other people's stories should have one of his own to tell. "When I was 12 years old, doctors said I'd be in a wheelchair and wouldn't be able to do what other kids do," Rose says. "But the words 'I can't' aren't in my vocabulary."

Rose has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which is a connective tissue disorder, characterized by joint hyper mobility, skin extensibility and organs that can rupture. People afflicted can possess a variety of symptoms, mostly having to do with fragile skin and joints that can be very hyper mobile.

Rose's personal battle with Ehlers-Danlos, a battle that he is now winning, led to him being named Ehlers-Danlos Network CARES National Spokesperson. "I'm very proud," Rose says of the distinction. There are six major types of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). All of them are under-diagnosed; an estimated 60-70% of the deadly Vascular EDS are undiagnosed entirely.

Because of the lack of adequate diagnosis, quality medical care is impacted. Rose says that with improved awareness, EDS sufferers can receive proper care, thus reducing injury and premature death. At age 12, very ill and in and out of hospitals, Rose hooked up with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which granted him the chance to meet pro wrestler Hulk Hogan. By age 13, Rose was given the chance to write a weekly column for the Pro Wrestling Federation in Florida.

From there, he went on to host a local TV show and work in radio, all while simultaneously functioning as one of Florida's top ring announcers. Even today, Rose is known as "The Voice of Florida Wrestling." But the physical obstacles Rose had to overcome were numerous and ghastly. "I lost my voice for a year," he says. "My left arm was paralyzed and eventually my right arm was, too. To this day I live with that, off and on."

Rose also experienced heart problems, and his left diaphragm has been paralyzed since age two. Today, Rose runs Eclectic Media Productions, and his aggressive company has been taking the PR world by storm as of late, signing clients fast and furiously. "I'm happy to be named the Ehlers Danlos Network CARES National Spokesperson because I feel my story can be inspirational to other sufferers," Rose says. To learn more about EDS and how to cope with it, visit http://ehlersdanlosnetwork.org/. For more information about Eclectic Media Productions, visit the company's website at http://mediaproductions.tv.