Famous rock musician Peter Frampton recently opened up about his battle with body inclusion body myositis (IBM), a muscle-weakening disease. He said there were only subtle signs at first and he only suspected illness after that. At first, he thought it was just signs of old age when it became difficult for him to indulge in long recreational activities outdoors.
It wasn’t until Frampton suffered a series of falls on stage that he realized there was a more serious underlying medical condition.
Unfortunately, this diagnosis means that the disease will progress until he is unable to play the guitar, which is the greatest passion of his life. He told reporters he started sleeping with the guitar he used to write one of his greatest songs, “Baby, I Love Your Way.”
PTO is a progressive muscle disorder with symptoms including weakness, atrophy and inflammation, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
After Frampton’s diagnosis, he organized a farewell tour to ensure he could play again before illness robbed him of his ability to play, as The New York Times reports here. Frampton donated one dollar from each ticket sale to his Polymyositis Research Charitable Fund.
Frampton is currently receiving treatment at Johns Hopkins Medical Center, and his research fund provides funds to that hospital to find a cure or treatment for the disease. He is participating in a trial of a new drug treatment that may relieve symptoms.
IBM patients sometimes have vocal problems, but fortunately Frampton never had any problems speaking or singing. He says his diagnosis has not weakened his spirit and he is enjoying life. Peter sees himself as someone who always sees the positive side of things.
The rock star doesn’t see this as the end of his musical career. He says he will continue to write songs and play guitar in the studio when he is still able to gather his strength. He has no plans to quit because, he explained, music is all that matters in his life.
