LIZA MINNELLI - MINNELLI 'REHEARSED' HER WAY BACK TO HEALTH

MINNELLI 'REHEARSED' HER WAY BACK TO HEALTH

LIZA MINNELLI credits her theatrical background and her inspiring father with helping her recover from a crippling virus that robbed her of her voice and the use of her legs. Minnelli was diagnosed with encephalitis in 2000, at the age of 54 - and doctors told her she'd never walk or talk again.
She explains, "All these doctors were around me. They said, 'You'll never walk again, you may not talk again, but you're alive.'
"I panicked. The only think I knew how to do was perform."
But the superstar refused to give in, and battled back the only way she knew how - by rehearsing.
Minnelli adds, "I remembered my dad (Vincente Minnelli) told me, 'You can do anything if you think about it.' So I started very slowly to count, 'A,B.C'
"I rehearsed and it did come back. You can retrain your brain."