|
Featured Article for May'08
Will Downing--Will Power.
The number 13 turned out to be lucky for singer Will Downing. With his first dozen albums, the popular balladeer breezed into the studio, recorded his vocals and went about his merry way. But last year, as he embarked upon his latest recording, he fell down the stairs in his home. At first he blamed it on the fact that he wasnt wearing slippers, until he found himself slipping in other ways: His muscles ultimately weakened to the point where it was hard to get out of a chair, cross a room or even breathe. Diagnosed with Polymyositis, an autoimmune disease that affects the muscles around the trunk area, he had to sing from a hospital bed or his wheelchair, recording only a line or a two at a time. To take such tiny steps to finish that 13th album, After Tonight, made him feel very fortunate indeed.
Pamela Johnson, ABILITY Magazines managing editor, caught up with Downing one evening at home, where he talked about facing the greatest challenge of his life, his biggest fears and the new faith hes found in a higher power, and also in himself.
Pamela Johnson: How are you feeling today?
Will Downing: Pretty good.
PJ: Excellent. I was just listening to your new album and liking it very much.
WD: Well, you have to listen to it some more until you love it! Liking it aint gonna cut it!
PJ: [laughs] You had quite a challenge recording it. You started to feel some of the symptoms of polymyositis around the holidays last year?
WD: Yeah, thats when I fell down a flight of stairs at home.
PJ: From the muscle weakness?
WD: Well, I didnt know what it was at the time. I figured, Okay, I didnt have my slippers on. My foot slipped. Then another thing would happen and I would blame it on something else. But it was this polymyositis slowly taking my muscles and reducing them to nothing.
PJ: I heard you were being a little hard-headed, and didnt go to the doctor immediately. When did you actually get there?
WD: On January 3rd, 2007. I had gone through at least a month of these symptoms before I went to the doctor. Im the type of person who can start feeling like somethings wronga toothache or whateverand I can say, Oh, Ill be fine tomorrow, and Im going to put it off until its excruciating. Thats what I did in this case, and obviously I made the wrong decision.
PJ: Did waiting cost you?
WD: Doctors didnt say that, but when youre dealing with an illness of any type, the earlier the better. If you feel something, you should go get it checked out.
PJ: So thats something you would do going forward, that was a lesson left with you?
The rest of this article can be found in the ABILITY Magazine's past issue with Laura Innes on the cover at the following: www.ABILITYMagazine.com . Reprint of this article was provided by Chet Cooper, Publisher of ABILITY Magazine
|