NATALIE COLE - COLE GRATEFUL TO BE ALIVE AFTER TOUGH SUMMER

COLE GRATEFUL TO BE ALIVE AFTER TOUGH SUMMER

Ailing soul star NATALIE COLE is grateful she made it to the end of the year (08) after a summer of poor health left her fearing the worst.
Cole was diagnosed with liver disease hepatitis C in February (08) and, by the summer she could hardly move.
The singer admits that the act of walking from the bedroom to the kitchen was "an act of Congress", and worse was to come.
Shortly before Cole was rushed to hospital in New York after suffering kidney failure, she was a mess.
She reveals, "I was in a wheelchair because my legs got very feeble. I was very fragile. I could not lift my head off the pillow... I was just falling apart."
Following the health scare in September (08), Cole has to undergo dialysis three times a week - and she has been forced to cut back on her promotional commitments.
Cole says, "I have never really taken the time to rest and it really is ridiculous. When you're sick, you need to sit down and take care of yourself."