Six months after revealing he was temporarily paralyzed due to COVID-19 complications, Christopher Cross is detailing his harrowing battle with the disease for the first time.
The yacht rock crooner sat down with CBS Sunday Morning to tell his story. “There was some, you know, come-to-Jesus moments or whatever, where I was looking for any help I could get … to get out of this thing, because I wasn’t sure,” he admitted.
Cross contracted COVID-19 during a trip to Mexico City with his girlfriend. After falling ill for three weeks in April, the 69-year-old felt well enough to go grocery shopping. When he returned home, his legs gave out. The singer was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome — a condition that causes your body to attack your nerves — that doctors believe was caused by the coronavirus. He spent the next 10 days in intensive care.
“It was the worst 10 days of my life,” Cross revealed. “And I couldn’t walk, could barely move. And so, it was certainly the darkest of times for me, you know? It really was touch-and-go, and tough.”
Though the paralysis was temporary, Cross is still struggling with recovery. “So yeah, my walking is affected,” he said. “My speech at times can be affected. Memory is a big deal, too. Just neurologically, I’m kind of a little foggy, you know? Now I’m on medication … a nerve pain medication, which also can cause some fogginess. But until I can get off it at some point, I won’t know how clear I would be. But most people with Guillain-Barre heal about 90% to 100% over about a year. That’s what my prognosis is.”
Seven months into the pandemic, there are still people who won’t take the coronavirus seriously. Cross wanted to detail his battle to prove its severity. “I felt it was sort of my obligation to share with people: ‘Look, this is a big deal. Like, you’ve got to wear your mask. You’ve got to take care of each other. Because, you know, this could happen to you.'”
Watch the full interview on CBS This Morning tomorrow at 9 am ET.
