The Sunday Mail
DEBORAH Fraser has asked for prayers after health complications saw her become wheelchair-bound.
The gospel star was hospitalised from February to March last year after falling ill on her way to a gig at Klerksdorp in the North West and has since lost her mobility.
“I was unconscious, even the artists that came there said I should be transported to hospital,” she recalled in an interview.
“I still can not walk. I think it’s because I was in bed for a long time, but I don’t know for sure.
“It’s stressful to live a life that you’re not used to. I’m asking for love, I’m asking for prayers.”
While in hospital, the singer said her doctors told her sugar levels were high and diagnosed her with meningitis.
She was “cleared” days after.
Deborah says she remains hopeful she will walk again.
“I went to different doctors and they said it does happen and it’s just a matter of time, so I am waiting for that. It will take time for me to go back to walking. If there isn’t a major problem. They have to check it thoroughly.”
While concerns for her health mount on social media, some tweeps observed that she had lost weight.
Deborah said getting back on her feet is the only thing she is worried about.
“People who are concerned about the weight forget that staying in hospital is not child’s play, you cannot gain weight when you’re not eating because sometimes you feel like eating or not eating, and stress is a huge contributing factor.”
Deborah is in Durban visiting her family, but said once she returns to Johannesburg she plans to go to a rehabilitation centre for physiotherapy.
“If nobody is supporting me and I don’t walk slow, I fall. Even the way you place me on a couch, you need to be careful.
“I can’t walk alone and can’t try to walk because I lose direction. When I have to go to the left I go to the right and vice versa. I get dizzy.”
Deborah is still determined to pursue her love for music.
“I am performing still because there’s nothing wrong with my voice or hands, except that there’s a headache that comes and goes.
“Plus, I cannot walk. Sometimes I wake up feeling as if I can’t think properly, as if I’m losing my mind. Otherwise, I can sit on my wheelchair and sing.”
Luck played a part in my success: Viola Davis
Viola Davis thinks “luck” has played a big part in her success.
The 56-year-old actress has managed to claw her way out of poverty and become one of the most sought-after stars in Hollywood − but she still struggles to explain her own success.
Asked how she managed to transform her life, Viola replied: “A huge part of it is that unexplained phenomena which is luck and blessings.
“But I found something that I really, really loved to do and I did it constantly. I did it to the best of my ability.
“I rode that horse. What I had, when I didn’t have confidence even when I didn’t have self-love, what I had was drive.
“You find the joy, and the joy stomps out all the pain.”
Viola has won a host of accolades during her career, including an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award.
But the acclaimed actress insists she will not be defined by her gongs.
She told the BBC:
“I have the awards on my mantelpiece but I have to tell you that when I’m going through anything in my life, that don’t help me.
“The awards, I’m extremely grateful for them. I am literally in shock I was able to achieve what I have achieved, knowing my beginnings. But that’s where it begins and ends.”
Despite her success, Viola recently confessed to being terrified of playing Michelle Obama in “The First Lady”.
The Hollywood star admitted that starring in the TV drama was a nerve-wracking experience. –Wires
