Paul:
Hi.
Christina:
Hello. How are you?
Paul :
I'm good, how are you?
Christina:
I'm fine, thank you.
Paul:
Now, sorry for the delay. It's 630 in the morning. I have a little bit of a sleep in and my sleeping patterns have been crazy lately. So thank you for being so flexible and coming on and chatting with me a little bit later than what we thought. I know it's something your pat passionate about as well, about getting the truth out there, so I really appreciate it.
Christina:
No problem.
Paul:
So, before we start chatting about the meeting of Michael Jackson, I was wondering if you could tell us a little bit about condition that you live with. Is it Morchio syndrome?
Christina:
March syndrome? Yeah.
Paul:
Can you start off by telling us a little bit about that?
Christina:
Yeah. It affects the bones and the height, but there are different sorry, I have Marko and then there's Huntington's disease and then I can't remember mine is their Thoughts syndrome.
Paul:
Yeah.
Christina:
So it affects the height and the bone.
Paul:
Is that something you were born with or diagnosed later?
Christina:
Yes, I was born with. I wasn't diagnosed when I was four, in my sense, but, you know, I was diagnosed, I was born because they knew she wouldn't be able to handle it straight away. They kind of told her infection since I was the second in the country that was born with her.
Paul:
Oh, wow.
Christina:
Yeah.
Paul:
So it wasn't something that a lot was known about.
Christina:
No, it's very rare now.
Paul:
Is it still very rare or have they found more people, more conditions?
Christina:
Genetic disease, yeah, the lucky one that got it.
Paul:
Have you always been a Michael Jackson fan?
Christina:
Yes, always? Yeah, from the time I was in the room.
Paul:
That's funny, because he toured in the 80s on the Bad Tour in Ireland as well, didn't he?
Christina:
Yeah. He came to Cork.
Paul:
Did you go to that?
Christina:
No.
Paul:
Oh, really?
Christina:
I've never forgiven my father. He went without me.
Paul:
You would have been quite young.
Christina:
I don't care. I was still a fan.
Paul:
I think we're around the same age. So, in 1988, would you have been about ten years old?
Christina:
I was nine. Wasn't that young?
Paul:
Yeah. It's still old enough to go to a concert, isn't it?
Christina:
No, I went before concert, I was seven.
Paul:
But you did go to the History Tour in 90?
Christina:
Yeah, I went to History and Dangerous.
Paul:
Dangerous as well, yeah. Yes, because we didn't get the Dangerous Tour. It got canceled before it came to Australia, so I always forget about the Dangerous Tour. How was that?
Christina:
Amazing. It was the first time that I had seen that big of a crowd. It was outdoors, I remember, he sang “Man in The Mirror” and at the time, there was no peace process down the north of Ireland, so there were troubles with the north and the Republic. Weren't really friendly at the time. And I remember a girl beside me from Belfast, and Michael said, “I want everybody to take the hand of the person beside them,” and little girl, she took my hands and I felt so… Michael made it happen.
Paul:
Yeah.
Christina:
And I never forgot that.
Paul:
That's amazing. So that was in 93, was it?
Christina:
Yeah.
Paul:
And then in 97 was the History concert. Now, how did that come about? You're obviously still a big fan. You've bought tickets, good tickets. Were you in a good section? You're obviously in the wheelchair section.
Christina:
Yes.
Paul:
Was that a good section? Could you still see quite well?
Christina:
It was a bit far back, but it was still decent enough. And I always remember seeing Steven Daily from Boy Zone going backstage to meet Michael that day. And one of my friends said, that should be you. The fewer later was me.
Paul:
Yeah. So, going to the concert, you had no idea what was to come?
Christina:
No. The security guy came over to the section and he said, I'm looking for someone smile sitting on stage. And his sister said, you won't find anyone smile at all, which is true. I thought I didn't know what was going on. And he said, Come with me. I said, where am I going? I'm going to see Michael. Are you sure? I'm going to see Michael. And he said yes. Okay. So, one of his friends came with me and said, but you know, you can't course or swear around like that.
Paul:
You went to the concert with your sister and a friend, was it?
Christina:
No, I went, but mostly family were with me, actually. A few friends with my sister and a few friends with it with us. And we went back. We were sitting on the stage for Black or White.
Paul:
How many of you went backstage?
Christina:
Two, just me and my friends.
Paul:
Yeah.
Christina:
I didn't see anybody else backstage, so as far as I knew, I was the only one there. But obviously I wasn't because other people from the other side, we were there for black or white and earth song off stage and Michael ran past me. I don't get that look. I screamed.
Paul:
Yeah.
Christina:
And I was actually so happy he couldn't hear me because of the noise… so when time for Heal The World came on, I remember Michael coming towards me off stage and beckoning to me with his hands. And the security guard brought me onto the stage in the wheelchair and Michael kneels down beside me, put his arm around my chair and held my hand and he kissed my head and there was 40,000 people in front of me. I didn't even notice, as far as I could say, with me and Michael. That was it.
Paul:
Wow, that's amazing. So that must have felt like, did that go really quick or did that feel like it was all happening in slow motion?
Christina:
And it was a bit of both at the same time. It was surreal because I wasn't even thinking, I'm on stage in front of all the people. I'm on stage with Michael Jackson. All I felt was love. Yeah, I felt love. That was it.
Paul:
That's amazing.
Christina:
But I do remember seeing someone take a photograph on the stage and Michael posed for the photograph. When I came back off the stage, michael had been holding my hand and I felt a burning sensation all up me arm… a few weeks earlier I stopped using that arm, the power just went and I switched hands. So the next morning, the power of my hand came back.
Paul:
What?
Christina:
Yeah.
Paul:
That's crazy.
Christina:
And I don't tell many people, only Michael fans.
Paul:
So you couldn't feel your hand. You didn't have the use of that arm and that hand before that night. And then on that night when Michael Jackson brought you on stage, he held that hand.
Christina:
Yes.
Paul:
And then was it later on that night, you said you started to feel.
Christina:
The burning sensation, like my arm was on fire and I didn't know what it was and my Mum said to me, with 40,000 people singing Heal the World, you were bound to get a miracle.
Paul:
That is a miracle. And you had the use of that hand from that day forward.
Christina:
Yeah.
Paul:
That gives me chills. Well, so you've gone on stage and Michael's held your hand and kissed your head and you've got your photo, and then they've pretty much wheeled you back to the side of the stage. So there's still more of the concert to go.
Christina:
Yeah.
Paul:
Did you stay side stage or did they take you back…
Christina:
We went back down to the area, but at the same time I was just in so much shock, I burst into tears. I was crying. One of my friends had twins and they were really young and one said “Why are you crying? Why are you so upset?” and my Mum said “ she's happy.”
Paul:
Your friend that was side stage or backstage, did they see did they tell you about anything that they saw backstage or anything like that?
Christina:
No, she was just in shock as well. I don't think she even knew what was going on around her. I think she would just know what happened.
Paul:
Did you get a copy of that photo?
Christina:
I did. And actually how I got it was I was part of King magazine, the Tribute magazine, and I saw my story was in it. I actually sent the story to King magazine about the concert because I knew somebody had taken a photograph of it. I didn't know who it was. Me photograph was published in the magazine and story. And then I got a letter with a big yellow envelope and there was a photograph of me and Michael, and then it was signed, To Christina, all my love, Michael.
Up to here on spell check
Paul:
Oh, wow.
Christina:
Michael. Michael sent it to me.
Paul:
So that's the professional photo that he's photographer?
Christina:
Yes.
Paul:
So that's not the one that I've seen circulating where it looks like it's taken from the crowd.
Christina:
There's a few different ones because somebody took them on. Somebody took a video. I want to be found to photograph in the video. But you're the one just Michael because you can see him leaning down beside me.
Paul:
What have you done with that? Is that up in a big frame?
Christina:
Oh, it's frame, yeah. It's staying in the room. Hasn't bought, not going anywhere.
Paul:
So after coming down from that and moving on to the next day, how do you move forward from that?
Christina:
What an experience after being an all time high? I came down with a band.
Paul:
Yeah.
Christina:
And that's when I got the letter from Michael to kind of brought him back up again. I haven't run about him. He read the story, so he knows who I am.
Paul:
Yeah.
Christina:
That meant so much to me.
Paul:
He didn't tour in Ireland again after that, did he? Yeah, I know. He spent some time there in 2006, 2007, looking for a home there.
Christina:
Yeah.
Paul:
You could have been neighbors.
Christina:
I didn't even know he was here. He found a weld, really.
Paul:
Was he close to you?
Christina:
Could have moved in with me.
Paul:
Would have found, well, what could have been. From that experience, you've been inspired to give back and to do things for other people and to let his legacy live on through you. So what have you done that Michael's inspired you to do since his passing in 2009?
Christina:
When he passed, I felt like a family never had that because it's in my life as long as my family had. I don't remember time, but Michael wasn't perfect.
Paul:
Yeah.
Christina:
So I just felt hopeless and useless. So my master just to me, why don't you do something? Memory? I get a tree built. So I got a tree put into the park where I live. And then I also did a Family Memorial Day and Michael Jackson family Memorial Day. It was just Michael's music. I got loads of different memorabilia and I gave them all prizes. I had tickets, like, no racket tickets. Every morning went into the charity and the tree is still there.
Paul:
The tree is still there. When did you plan that? 2009.
Christina:
Yeah.
Paul:
Wow.
Christina:
In August. Tomorrow was done a month later.
Paul:
And the event that you hold, what's that called? Have you got a name for that event?
Christina:
It's the Michael Jackson Family Funday.
Paul:
Family Fund day. Did you start that in 2009 as well?
Christina:
Yeah.
Paul:
Wow. So that's a day with games and raffles and fundraising. Michael Jackson music, lots of fun for everybody.
Christina:
Roll devil field workers, fake painting stones for kids, don't for adults. Only. Michael Jackson movies can where we played. We had ice cream and chocolate and everything. Popcorn, handy, floss. Now we had all, really, and we were all gone. And the first one, the match is six weeks and then I already did it. It wasn't just me, it was a lot of health muda people, obviously, but.
Paul:
It was your brainchild, it was your idea. So you do a fundraiser with that. Where do those proceeds go?
Christina:
To a charity, whatever charity that I can think of. Needs of that year. It goes straight to them. I don't keep the penny of the money. One year I went to a material hospital that I used to go to as a child.
Paul:
Is that our Ladies Children's Hospital?
Christina:
Yes, that's it. I can't even remember that long ago, but every year, Gonzale charity.
Paul:
So it's different charities all the time.
Christina:
Yeah.
Paul:
Wow, that's so good. Well done. I read somewhere that you'd also been on stage with other artists.
Christina:
Yeah, I sang with Diana Ross.
Paul:
Diana Ross? When was that?
Christina:
I think I was just after my staff, but she was in playing in Dublin and around another people going off to see her. And my friend, the same friends who written Me City Michael, actually brought me up. But at the time, I wasn't in the Rich. She carried me up and Diana was torn around and I didn't realize she put a mic in front of me and she didn't realize I knew the words of the song went down the song, and she was like, shining moments. Yeah.
Paul:
Did you end up finding I know when we spoke years ago when I was doing my book, you didn't have good quality footage of you on stage with Michael. Have you got that yet?
Christina:
No.
Paul:
Damn. It's. One of the best stories that I've heard. And you know about all the stories in my books. I know you've got my book, but it's one of the most heartwarming ones that I've heard, too. So thank you. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Christina:
Thank you for letting me.
Paul:
Yeah, no problem at all. After my book, I thought, I'm very passionate about getting these stories out there, and someone said, Why don't you do a podcast? And I'm like, I don't know what to do. But I'll start speaking to people and we'll see if we can get that message out there even more.
Christina:
Again, people need to hear these stories.
Paul:
Yeah, they do.
Christina:
Because they're hearing too much negativity and life and rumors, and I need to hear the truth about who it really was.
Paul:
So I'm going to do my best to bring these stories out to the public today. So thank you for chatting with me. I haven't got any other questions, really, to hear about your experience again, you know that I know your story already, but to hear it now and to put that in a podcast will reach another audience that don't read books. So thank you. No problem, sincerely. And it was nice. It was nice to say. We've been chatting on Twitter for, I think, four years now.
Christina:
Yeah.
Paul:
Probably because the book came out in 2018. So it's nice to get to say hello and sort of meet. Anyway, how are you doing? How is your health now?
Christina:
My health is okay, I think. I have not only complained, I haven't been to any doctors, so I actually retired from hospital when I was 15. I left and I never went back.
Paul:
Wow. Really?
Christina:
I said to the doctor, well, is there a cure for me? And he said no. I said okay. I said, well, then I won't be back. Because I was tired of endless appointments, endless having to go into hospital when I was fine. And every time I came out, I was in this I felt what my units were, not just to me, but to me. I was going to rest with me as well. And it wasn't fair to other children. That's it. And I wasn't supposed to see my 20th birthday. I'm still here.
Paul:
Why did they say you wouldn't see your 20th birthday? Is it a condition that because it.
Christina:
Was so rare, they didn't know what was going on. I know there is a time limit, but I don't know what the time limit is because it's so rare.
Paul:
But the condition isn't something does that affect your organs or is it purely.
Christina:
A bone, a tam? As you get older? It affects everything. Obviously, because I'm the same size their organs expand. I do have a hair condition. I was spoken over the hair condition a few years ago, but again, I never went back and I'm still here. I wouldn't recommend it.
Paul:
Yeah, well, that's good to hear. They said you wouldn't live to, say, 20. And I know it's rude to ask a woman her age. How old are you?
Christina:
43.
Paul:
Good work. Well, I hope everything keeps going well. You look well. Thank you again for chatting me. I'll talk to you again on Twitter soon.
Christina:
Thanks very much.
Paul:
Thanks, Christina. Have a good night.