The Woman Who Willed a Miracle

5th episode of the 11th season of ABC Afterschool Special

"The Woman Who Willed a Miracle"
ABC Afterschool Special episode
Episode no.	Season 11 Episode 5
Directed by	Sharron Miller
Written by	Arthur Heinemann
Original air date	February 9, 1983 (1983-02-09)

"The Woman Who Willed a Miracle" is a 1983 episode of the American television anthology series ABC Afterschool Special, starring Cloris Leachman, M. Emmet Walsh, Leif Green and Rosemary Murphy.

Dick Clark was the executive producer under the auspices of his company, Dick Clark Productions. It was produced by Preston Fischer, Sharron Miller, and Joanne Curley-Kerner, and was directed by Sharron Miller and written by Arthur Heinemann. It tells the extraordinary true story of Leslie Lemke, a blind, cognitively impaired boy with cerebral palsy who was raised from infancy by a foster mother who stubbornly refused to let him die. Because of her love and dedication, he not only survived but was discovered to be a musical savant.

The New York Times called it one of the most famous of all Afterschool Specials.

Awards

1983 Emmy Awards for:
- Best Children's Programming (Dick Clark, Preston Fischer, Sharron Miller, Joanne Curley-Kerner)
- Best Director (Sharron Miller)
- Best Writer (Arthur Heineman)
- Outstanding Lead Actress (Cloris Leachman)
1983 Christopher Award
1983 Peabody Award
1984 Directors Guild of America Award (Sharron Miller)

References

O'Connor, John J. (1983-02-09). "TV: Cloris Leachman in 'Miracle'". The New York Times. p. C-30. Archived from the original on 2023-04-30. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
"The Woman Who Willed a Miracle". The Peabody Awards. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
"Awards / History / 1983". www.dga.org. Retrieved 2023-05-12.

External links

"The Woman Who Willed a Miracle" at IMDb

v t e ABC Afterschool Special
Selected episodes	"Last of the Curlews" (1972) "Fawn Story" (1975) "Me & Dad's New Wife" (1976) "My Mom's Having a Baby" (1977) "The Pinballs" (1977) "Dinky Hocker" (1978) "Where Do Teenagers Come From?" (1980) "Stoned" (1980) "My Mother Was Never a Kid" (1981) "The Color of Friendship" (1981) "The Woman Who Willed a Miracle" (1983) "The Wave" (1983) "Backwards: The Riddle of Dyslexia" (1984) "The Almost Royal Family" (1984) "Terrible Things My Mother Told Me" (1988) "Positive: A Journey Into AIDS" (1995)

ABC Afterschool Special

Selected
episodes

"Last of the Curlews" (1972)
"Fawn Story" (1975)
"Me & Dad's New Wife" (1976)
"My Mom's Having a Baby" (1977)
"The Pinballs" (1977)
"Dinky Hocker" (1978)
"Where Do Teenagers Come From?" (1980)
"Stoned" (1980)
"My Mother Was Never a Kid" (1981)
"The Color of Friendship" (1981)
"The Woman Who Willed a Miracle" (1983)
"The Wave" (1983)
"Backwards: The Riddle of Dyslexia" (1984)
"The Almost Royal Family" (1984)
"Terrible Things My Mother Told Me" (1988)
"Positive: A Journey Into AIDS" (1995)

v t e Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Special
Children's Entertainment Special (1974–1984)	ABC Afterschool Special ("Rookie of the Year") (1974) The CBS Festival of Lively Arts for Young People ("Harlequinade") (1975) The CBS Festival of Lively Arts for Young People ("Danny Kaye's Look-In at the Metropolitan Opera") (1976) Special Treat ("Big Henry and the Polka Dot Kid") (1977) ABC Afterschool Special ("Hewitt's Just Different") (1978) Special Treat ("The Tap Dance Kid") (1979) ABC Afterschool Special ("The Late Great Me: Story of a Teenage Alcoholic") (1980) ABC Afterschool Special ("A Matter of Time") (1981) ABC Afterschool Special ("Starstruck") (1982) ABC Afterschool Special ("The Woman Who Willed a Miracle") (1983) ABC Afterschool Special ("The Great Love Experiment") (1984)
Children's Informational Special (1976–1984)	Happy Anniversary, Charlie Brown (1976) ABC Afterschool Special ("My Mom's Having a Baby") (1977) ABC Afterschool Special ("Very Good Friends") (1978) Razzamatazz (1979) The CBS Festival of Lively Arts for Young People ("Why a Conductor") (1980) The CBS Festival of Lively Arts for Young People ("Julie Andrews' Invitation to the Dance with Rudolf Nureyev") (1981) Kathy (1982) No Award (1983) CBS Schoolbreak Special ("Dead Wrong: The John Evans Story") (1984)
Children's Anthology/Dramatic Programming (1980)	ABC Weekend Specials ("The Gold Bug") / CBS Library ("Animal Talk" and "Once Upon a Midnight Dreary") / Once Upon a Classic ("Leatherstocking Tales") (1980)
Children's Special (1985–2003)	CBS Schoolbreak Special ("All the Kids Do It") (1985) CBS Schoolbreak Special ("The War Between the Classes") (1986) ABC Afterschool Special ("Wanted: The Perfect Guy") (1987) CBS Schoolbreak Special ("Never Say Goodbye") (1988) ABC Afterschool Special ("Taking a Stand") (1989) CBS Schoolbreak Special ("A Matter of Conscience") (1990) Lost in the Barrens (1991) Vincent and Me (1992) ABC Afterschool Special ("Shades of a Single Protein") (1993) Lifestories: Families in Crisis ("Dead Drunk: The Kevin Tunell Story") (1994) Lifestories: Families in Crisis ("A Child Betrayed: The Calvin Mire Story") (1995) CBS Schoolbreak Special ("Stand Up") (1996) Elmo Saves Christmas (1997) In His Father's Shoes (1998) The Island on Bird Street (1999) Summer's End (2000) Run the Wild Fields / A Storm in Summer (2001) My Louisiana Sky (2002) Bang Bang You're Dead (2003)
Children/Youth/Family Special (2004–2007)	The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie (2004) Mighty Times: The Legacy of Rosa Parks (2005) Reality Matters ("Teen Sexuality") (2006) Saving a Species (The Great Penguin Rescue") (2007)

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