Extraordinary Stories at Discovery en Español.

Discovery en Español introduces audiences to a moving new series that delves into some of today’s most astounding medical conditions. “Extraordinary Stories,” airing on Tuesday, August 4th and running each subsequent Tuesday at 9 pm, examines how breakthrough science is overcoming extreme medical challenges. The series is not only a testament to human kindness and courage, but also to medical resolve.

Each riveting special addresses a single story and interweaves interviews and footage with archival material, providing personal and highly emotional insights into treatments from the perspective of the patients, friends, families and their undaunted doctors.  

 “Extraordinary Stories” kicks-off with a gripping account. “A New Face for Marlie” is a perfect example of how courage and compassion can transform the impossible into the possible. Born with an angelic smile, this beautiful child developed a tumor that grew into an unimaginable facial deformity that not only dramatically altered her face but radically threatened her life; rendering her unable to eat, breath, or speak.
Marlie was discovered and brought to the U.S. by the International Kids Fund (IKF), a program of the Jackson Memorial Foundation that provides medical care to children from around the world who suffer from serious illnesses that cannot be treated in their home countries. Through the generosity of many donors and countless hours of surgeries at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center, hope is restored and a child is given her face back.  “A New Face for Marlie” takes us into Marlie’s incredibly courageous journey.

“Extraordinary Stories” delves into some of the most unusual medical conditions faced by ordinary human beings. But what truly makes this series exceptional, are not the rare conditions viewers will come  face to face with but how patients, their families, communities and the medical establishment band together to make a difference,” said Bilai Joa Silar, VP & Channel Director of Discovery en Español.

“It is great to have networks such as Discovery en Español shed light upon these exceptional stories of human strength and solidarity,” said Janelle Marie Prieto, Director of the International Kids Fund. “Our organization witnesses the will of human beings and their resilience everyday.  It is what drives us.  For that reason we are excited to share our story with Discovery en Español viewers so they can learn how they have the power to ultimately make a difference as well.”

During the one hour airing of “A New Face for Marlie”, Discovery en Español will make an on air call on behalf of the International Kids Fund encouraging viewers to learn more about the organization in the hopes they can get involved. To date the International Kids Fund has helped hundreds of desperate families throughout the world find a new lease on life.

“Extraordinary Stories” Upcoming Episodes:

A New Face for Marlie (8/4) 9 PM ET/PT
This is a film about a very brave girl.  A terrible disease destroyed her face, and nearly killed her.  And yet throughout an ordeal, which takes place in the full glare of worldwide publicity, she never forgets how to laugh, and even how to dance.  In her native Haiti, the growth on 13-year-old Marlie Casseus’s face is believed by many to be the work of the devil.  Follow Marlie’s amazing transformation as the Jackson Memorial Hospital team work to save her life and restore her dignity.

Mermaid Girl (8/11) 9 PM ET/PT
8 year old Shiloh Pepin has defied the odds to become one of only three surviving children in the world with one of the rarest physical deformities known to man, called Sirenomelia, otherwise known as Mermaid Syndrome.  This is a documentary that explores how Shiloh’s family battles against all the odds to give their daughter a normal happy life.

Manar’s story: Born with Two Heads (8/18) 9 PM ET/PT
Follow the dramatic highs and lows of a baby born with a second head and the struggle by surgeons to attempt to correct the condition.  Diagnosed with an extremely rare medical condition, Manar has one body and two heads. This is an extraordinary story of a family’s unyielding love, an amazing 13 hour surgery and a fight for human life unlike any other – a story that will confound and raise some interesting questions about life in general. 

Half Man, Half Tree (8/25) 9 PM ET/PT
This is a spellbinding documentary of a man who is ‘half man, half tree’, who lives in a remote village in Indonesia.  Dede, 36-years-old has an extraordinary wart-like skin condition. He has structures resembling roots growing out of his body.  This film is the intimate portrayal of single father of two, Dede, enslaved by his condition.  We follow American world-leading skin expert Dr Gaspari’s visit to Indonesia, and his attempts to diagnose and eventually treat this mysterious illness.