Summer 2025 – Issue N. 10

“Well, if he can do that, so can I!” exclaimed a lady who was waiting in line to go into the entrance of the Great Pyramid of Giza, pointing to me as I was walking out with a cane. I was surprised to overhear her, and felt encouraged to continue on with my journey, thinking that I could be an inspiration to others.

Through the years, along with that inspiration, I have experienced many blessings that have contributed to my accomplishments and successes. All this just seemed to happen through my positive attitude, spirit and enthusiasm, as well as a wish to keep the necessities of life flowing. In other words, pay the bills. Early on, from age 6 to 11, and with both parents working, my mother enrolled my sister and I into dance classes to keep us busy after school.

As a teenager, after my father died of lung cancer, I became interested in the local “little theatre” productions in which I began participating. I eventually won their first Best Actor award for my performance of “Little Chap” in Stop The World I Want To Get Off. Soon after I added two other Best Acting awards from NW State College in Natchitoches, LA. At NSC, the head of the theater department was able to get me a scholarship to the Dallas Theater Center, where I roomed with someone who inspired me to write to the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC for admission. After graduation, I steadily worked for the next nine years on national tours, summer stock, Off-Broadway and Broadway. I also worked in movies, even a dealership advertisement for the VW Rabbit.

Then, muscular dystrophy began to show up. At the age of 28 or so my legs seemed to be feeling heavy and gravity seemed stronger. I decided to add running to my gym exercises, along with bike riding and dance classes, thinking I just needed more exercise. It was when I was up for the understudy role to Sandy Duncan as Peter Pan on Broadway that I became aware that I had difficulty with getting up on my toes in dance combinations. After many auditions, I didn’t land the job.

Around that time, I was asked to come back to Lake Charles, LA (from where I hailed) to reprise my role as “Little Chap,” during which the mayor proclaimed opening night as Bill Stratton, Stop The World Day since I had briefly halted my professional career in New York City to do this show. I was having trouble climbing up the steps in that production. Since my sister had been diagnosed with Polymyositis (we didn’t know it was a misdiagnosis at the time), I decided to see my NYC doctor.

Eventually I had a muscle biopsy and apparently the unclear results put me into the category of “Limb Girdle”, since my results didn’t quite “fit the book” as I was told. My life dramatically shifted. I needed to find a regular 9-5 job, which actually fell into place quite easily. Soon, word processing became trendy, and after successfully completing a computer class studying on the Wang (does anyone remember the Wang computer?), I landed my very first job interview.

From there I went on to work at the national headquarters of the Episcopal Church in NYC, then onto the Trilateral Commission, a think tank created by David Rockefeller. I also created an acting/singing class—FocuSing, which kept me involved in theatre. I also designed individual customized cards, which kept my artistic expression alive.

During those years, I became more involved with my spiritual focus and meditation, which in itself added energy and healing to my health. Through this new community, a rather wealthy friend brought me with him (as support) to a Spiritual/Psychic Surgeon, Sister Josephine, in the Philippines. There I witnessed amazing healing through her astonishingly capable hands. As a result, my hearing (from a stage accident) was healed, a few warts on my hand disappeared, and my legs…well Lord knows if my muscles were helped—I still used a cane. I was told that the healing could take some time to show up in the body.

Over the years that followed, the LGMD (Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy) slowly progressed, and I had alternative care for pain and other conditions through chiropractic, acupuncture and massage therapy, in which ongoing treatments were aided by supplements and Chinese herbs.

During that time I became a minister working closely with the spiritual leaders of MSIA (the church of the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness), and later ILM (the church of Inner Light Ministries). Through these churches I created newsletters, wrote a few articles, recorded and edited seminars, designed CD packages, as well as officiating at weddings. Later, one of the designs was accepted by the San Antonio Museum of Art for their Peace video salute to the Dalai Lama. I was also able to complete a Doctorate program on Theology ABD (all but the dissertation).

Through my various experiences and jobs as a professional actor, singer, dancer, director, teacher and artist, I’ve met such celebrities as John Raitt, Andy Warhol, Tony Bennett, Barry Manilow, Tony Tanner, Edward Gorey, Lee Becker Theadore, Gordon Harrell (Broadway director/conductor), David Rockefeller, Henry Kissinger and the presiding bishop.

I also traveled to Paris, the Philippines, Egypt, Israel, sailed up the Nile River, and cruised to the islands of the Mediterranean. None were planned or even dreamed of, and I found that life is full of surprises—many were good. Fortunately, I believed I was able to handle each experience as they appeared.

Interestingly, retiring at the age of 66 was difficult due to physical weakness and much tiredness. But through physical therapy and wonderful caregivers over the years, I managed. Surprisingly, getting over the guilt of not working and simply being tired a lot (age perhaps?) was challenging. Up until that time, I had hardly ever had a nap. Now it’s become somewhat of a daily occurrence. Fortunately, with the added benefit of an accessible van and a ceiling lift system to help me from my power chair to bed and bathroom areas (along with the help of dear friends when in need), I’ve become very independent, which has kept me out of assisted living. Ahh, modern technology.

I am now 76. I stopped driving last year due to arm weakness. I also pray daily for gene therapy (or CRISPR Technology) to find the solution to help me/us get healthier and stronger. As I continue to strive living day by day, I have learned to let go of expectations. And with gratitude, I have also learned that life’s events are happening for me and not to me. I’ve realized that there are few “pity party” days with that attitude. After all, altitude affects attitude – or is it the other way around?