'She finally told me that a doctor had told her she could have this thing called scleroderma. 'She'd been complaining for about a year of not feeling well and about the fact that her legs felt funny. In extreme cases of this most mysterious of illnesses, victims not only endure their skin hardening to the point where they are unable to bend their limbs they must also suffer appalling pain as their internal organs fossilize in the same awful way.īergen, who co-starred with Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum in the original 'Cape Fear' movie, says: 'My sister called me about six months before I ever heard of `For Hope.
In a terrible twist of irony, the 66-year-old actress was auditioning for her role when her sister Barbra, 57, was finally diagnosed as having the disease. Gay Saget died three years ago, at age 42, after losing a five-year battle against scleroderma the disease that slowly and agonizingly turns its victims' skin and internal organs to stone.įor the cast of 'For Hope,' watching Saget re-create the tragedy of his sister's life was a painful experience.īut none found it more painful than veteran actress Polly Bergen, who plays Saget and Gay's mom.
The wisecracking presenter moves behind the cameras to direct a harrowing film based on the tragic real-life story of his older sister.
