CHRISTINE DOWLING’S STORY…"I will never forget the 19th of July 1997. I went to see my hero, Michael Jackson, in concert. It was my second MJ concert and I was so excited and happy that he had come back to Dublin.
During Michael’s show, he has his security people find fans to come up on stage for a particular song. I have Morquio syndrome (a rare genetic condition that affects a child's bones and spine, organs, and physical abilities) and security were looking for somebody small. My sister pointed me out and said, “You won’t get anybody smaller!” For once in my life I was so thankful to be small! I will be forever grateful to my sister. When the security man picked me my whole body started shaking, not because I was going to be in front of 35,000 screaming fans, but because I was about to come face to face with my all-time hero!
While I was waiting just offstage Michael ran past me, and I let out such a scream that I thought he must have heard me. Thankfully, with all of the noise on stage, he didn’t! The music for “Heal the World” came on and I was wheeled onto the stage. Michael held my hand. Normally I wouldn’t feel anything in my right hand as I had lost feeling in it a few years before, but that night I could actually feel Michael’s hand. He turned to me as we headed off of the stage. He told me that he loved me and I knew that he really meant it!
Being so close to him was amazing. The only way to describe it is like a spiritual experience. I felt so much love on that stage; love and happiness. When I got offstage I burst into tears. My friends’ young children who were also at the concert kept asking if I was I ok, and my mother told them, “She is fine. She’s only crying because she is happy.” The memories of that day will stay with me forever and they help me whenever I am sad or upset.
A few hours after the concert, I could feel a burning sensation up and down my right arm. The next day I had feeling back in my right hand. I truly believe I got my feeling back from simply holding Michael’s hand. My Ma said, “With 35,000 people singing such a positive song as “Heal the World,” you were bound to get a miracle.”
I thought I would share this with you, as only true MJ fans would truly understand what happened to me that night. Even though I am in a wheelchair, that night I felt like I was walking on air. I was 18 then, and now thirteen years later I can still honestly say that meeting Michael was the best day of my life, and I am so blessed and thankful that my dream came true.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: When Michael passed on I felt as though I had lost a member of my family; he had been a major part of my entire life. Way before we had met he had been the biggest influence on me for as long as I can remember, getting me through so many bad experiences that I had as a child. I took his death badly and I felt so lost and confused that I needed to do something for him. I took it upon myself to organize a tree planting for him. I felt that wasn’t enough though, so on the 8th of August 2009, alongside the tree planting, I organized a Michael Jackson Memorial / Fun day, with all proceeds going to a children’s hospital that I myself had attended throughout my childhood. I also did the same this June, the day after his first anniversary, and I will continue to do so every single year for as long as I can. It’s my way of giving back and saying “Thank you!” to Michael for all that he has done for me and millions of others worldwide. Michael’s tree stands proudly in a park in Dublin, surrounded by a children’s play-area. I think he would have liked it." - Christine Dowling, age 31, Dublin, Ireland
Photo: Michael Jackson and Christine Dowling
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