Singer and actress Melba Moore says her pain is gone and now she’s on top of the world.
When Melba Moore recorded her 2013 single, “What Can I Do to Survive,” the iconic singer and actress couldn’t help but think that it could serve as a theme song for her own life, with the physical and emotional challenges she’s overcome.
With her scale-defying voice and incredible stage presence, few of Melba Moore’s fans realized that, for years as she was performing on Broadway and recording chart-topping songs, she was also battling intense arthritis pain in her left knee and right hip.
“I became an expert at putting up a good front when I was on stage performing,” she says.
梅尔巴在20世纪60年代和70年代确立了自己的三重威胁地位，她仍然以她的唱歌、跳舞和表演引领舞台，吸引粉丝。她的第一次大突破是在1967年，当时她加入了百老汇的《头发》剧组，后来她被邀请出演黛安·基顿空出来的主角。梅尔巴继续出演1970年的音乐剧《普利》，这让她获得了托尼奖。
The following year, Melba’s debut album, I Got Love, earned her a Grammy nomination as best new artist. A versatile performer, she drew a worldwide following with her gospel, pop, R&B and disco numbers, including the hits “This is It” and “You Stepped Into My Life.”
上世纪90年代初，她因一场高度曝光的离婚而短暂地淡出了公众的视线，但在1995年，她回到百老汇，主演了《悲惨世界》，并推出了她的独舞剧《依然屹立不倒:梅尔巴·摩尔的故事》。事实证明，它的名字很贴切。
Pushing Through the Pain
在Still Standing的比赛中，Melba开始感到膝盖疼痛。几年来，情况越来越糟，但她决心不让它影响她来之不易的事业。
“There were some performances where my knee pain would flare up and I would leave the stage hobbling,” Melba says. By 2005, she had so much pain and stiffness in the morning that she resorted to crawling until she could take a hot shower and stretch.
消炎药和脊椎按摩让她得到了一些缓解，她还锻炼了膝盖的力量。然而，疼痛仍然存在，她不能一瘸一拐地走路，所以她预约了整形外科医生。医生说，核磁共振和x光显示梅尔巴的膝盖有骨关节炎，可能是由于她在舞台上的高强度表演加剧的。
“If I was dancing and I experienced pain, I would modify my routine, but I never stopped,” she says.
Two New Joints
When medications and exercise no longer helped, she decided to have a knee replacement.
梅尔巴说:“(我的医生)说我的膝盖有骨对骨关节炎，而膝关节置换手术将为我提供一个没有疼痛的机会，并继续进行手术。”“我一直过着积极的生活，我想继续这样做。”
Melba has always kept her weight in check and she enjoys exercise, both factors that helped in her recovery. After her surgery, she replaced running with a low-impact exercise routine including yoga, stretching and walking, and she remained pain-free for a year. Then in 2007, pain in her hip became so severe that it kept her awake at night. X-rays confirmed OA.
“The cartilage in my right hip was almost completely gone,” Melba says. “[My doctor] said hip-replacement surgery was my best option if I wanted to continue with my career.”
In April of 2007, she underwent minimally-invasive total hip-replacement surgery, and when she woke from surgery, the pain “was 20,000 times better,” she says.
“I’m glad I didn’t need the surgery 10 or 20 years earlier, when techniques weren’t as advanced,” Melba says. “I had a relatively fast recovery because I kept myself in good shape prior to the operation.”
Still Standing Strong
Melba has regained full range of motion and is pain-free. She takes care of herself through gentle exercise and walking. From her home in New Jersey, she takes a train into Manhattan, where she walks a quarter of a mile every day to church. She also watches her diet.
她说:“我发现导致炎症的食物——乳制品、糖、油炸食品和碳酸饮料——也会让我患上喉炎。”“I haven’t had alcohol in 20 years, and I eat a lot of salads, fruits, fish and lean cuts of steak and lamb rather than processed foods.”
梅尔巴说，结果是她比以往任何时候都更强壮、更好。Melba看起来比69岁还年轻，她微笑着告诉她的观众，“有些东西老了确实很好。”
她的新专辑《永远的摩尔》将于今年春天发行，她正在《Still Standing》巡回演出。最近，她与西塞莉·泰森(Cicely Tyson)和希尔·哈珀(Hill Harper)合作完成了电影《烟草谷》(Tobacco Valley)的拍摄，该片将于2016年上映，她没有任何安于现有成就的迹象。
“Over the years, I’ve reinvented myself through music,” Melba says. “I feel great and I’m on top of the world.” —LINDA CHILDERS