Action man Seagal a real-life hero to ailing PE brothers
By Mark Carrels
ACTION movie star Steven Seagal has won a special place in the hearts of ailing brothers Roopesh and Bhavesh Ramjee of Malabar, Port Elizabeth.
Seagal who was filming Mercenary in Cape Town, surprised the brothers suffering from a rare genetic bone disease, with a telephone call to their home last week.
Bhavesh, 23, an avid Seagal fan, had asked his parents to contact the Red Cross hospital in Cape Town where the movie star was due to visit.
“We phoned the the hospital PRO, who took our details. We were pleasantly surprised when Seagal phoned us back personally to chat,” said their mother, Champa.
Seagal was calling from a cellphone while driving to the airport to board a plane out of South Africa after spending months filming in Cape Town. Seagal can be heard saying on a recording of his telephone conversation with Bhavesh: “Thank you very much for watching my movies.
“Hope you both keep up your good strength, good health and that you go on in faith.”
Asked Bhavesh: “When will you be coming to Port Elizabeth?”
Replied Seagal: “I’ll be coming back to Africa soon . . . you’ll find out all about it. My thoughts are with you at this time . . . hoping you guys will be strong together.”
Bhavesh asked: “What is the name of your next movie?” Seagal’s response: “Mercenary . . . I’ll be starting another in Europe next. It is titled Shadows of the Past.”
“Nice speaking to you . . . we will get together next time. Thank you very much . . . I send you boys my love and respect,” added Seagal.
The brothers’ telephone conversation with Seagal was just another in a long list of stars they have been privileged to meet.
Among them are Bollywood stars Atshay Kumar, Rani Mukherjee, Sharukh Khan – and Amitabh Bachchan, whom they met in 1999.
Disappointingly though, a trip to Disneyland co-ordinated by the Reach for a Dream foundation had to be cancelled when Bhavesh fractured his kneecap while being helped into a taxi in London in 1995, en route to the US.
But the Ramjee brothers yearn most for friends. Confined to sitting upright on their beds due to their brittle bone structure, they lament: “We can’t use computers and can only sit and watch TV. We are very disappointed that we don’t have friends and family coming to visit.”
The two were diagnosed with Sialidosis – a progressive genetic bone disease – at a young age. They are believed to be the only people in South Africa with the disease. The boys, whose condition is worsening, said: “We are living in hope and praying every day for some miracle.”
Source: http://www.theherald.co.za/herald/2005/05/24/news/n35_24052005.htm
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I hope this answers the question whether he cares about his fans or not...
By Mark Carrels
ACTION movie star Steven Seagal has won a special place in the hearts of ailing brothers Roopesh and Bhavesh Ramjee of Malabar, Port Elizabeth.
Seagal who was filming Mercenary in Cape Town, surprised the brothers suffering from a rare genetic bone disease, with a telephone call to their home last week.
Bhavesh, 23, an avid Seagal fan, had asked his parents to contact the Red Cross hospital in Cape Town where the movie star was due to visit.
“We phoned the the hospital PRO, who took our details. We were pleasantly surprised when Seagal phoned us back personally to chat,” said their mother, Champa.
Seagal was calling from a cellphone while driving to the airport to board a plane out of South Africa after spending months filming in Cape Town. Seagal can be heard saying on a recording of his telephone conversation with Bhavesh: “Thank you very much for watching my movies.
“Hope you both keep up your good strength, good health and that you go on in faith.”
Asked Bhavesh: “When will you be coming to Port Elizabeth?”
Replied Seagal: “I’ll be coming back to Africa soon . . . you’ll find out all about it. My thoughts are with you at this time . . . hoping you guys will be strong together.”
Bhavesh asked: “What is the name of your next movie?” Seagal’s response: “Mercenary . . . I’ll be starting another in Europe next. It is titled Shadows of the Past.”
“Nice speaking to you . . . we will get together next time. Thank you very much . . . I send you boys my love and respect,” added Seagal.
The brothers’ telephone conversation with Seagal was just another in a long list of stars they have been privileged to meet.
Among them are Bollywood stars Atshay Kumar, Rani Mukherjee, Sharukh Khan – and Amitabh Bachchan, whom they met in 1999.
Disappointingly though, a trip to Disneyland co-ordinated by the Reach for a Dream foundation had to be cancelled when Bhavesh fractured his kneecap while being helped into a taxi in London in 1995, en route to the US.
But the Ramjee brothers yearn most for friends. Confined to sitting upright on their beds due to their brittle bone structure, they lament: “We can’t use computers and can only sit and watch TV. We are very disappointed that we don’t have friends and family coming to visit.”
The two were diagnosed with Sialidosis – a progressive genetic bone disease – at a young age. They are believed to be the only people in South Africa with the disease. The boys, whose condition is worsening, said: “We are living in hope and praying every day for some miracle.”
Source: http://www.theherald.co.za/herald/2005/05/24/news/n35_24052005.htm
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I hope this answers the question whether he cares about his fans or not...
But most fans never doubted that to begin with. This is not unusual for Steven. We've just read about him in the golf tournament in Memphis for the children's hospital, and where he visited the children's hospital in Cape Town, and on his way stopped by in Ghana to help promote AIDS/HIV awareness. And all within a short time, and only what we've heard about. No, doesn't surprise me a bit. 
