Julie Roberts - Beauty in the Breakdown: Choosing to Overcome

Praise for Beauty in the Breakdown

I admire greatly Julies incredible talent and her exquisite beauty. She is a gracious and caring witness of how great and mighty God is, and her story is captivating!

BARBARA MANDRELL

COUNTRY MUSIC SUPERSTAR

I met Julie Roberts back in about 2007. We both started out our careers around the same time, but she was soaring at heights Id never reached. There was something about her that was just infectious, and I loved her voice and her humility so much.

After many years had passed, I continued to think of her voice. When an opportunity and a song arose, I wanted to work with her in the studio and reached out to her. Soon, she became a close part of my family and my heart.

Shes an unbelievably kind soul and a fifty-pound story in a two-pound bag. Her struggles have inspired many and her triumphs even more. Ill believe in her til the day I die, and after reading this book, I guarantee all of you will as well. If you dont, you can come see me about it.

SHOOTER JENNINGS

SINGER-SONGWRITER AND RECORD PRODUCER

Julie is a star in every way. Her voice is beautifully strong, and she has a beautiful soul and appearance. Dont miss this!

JESSI COLTER

COUNTRY MUSIC ARTIST

AUTHOR OF AN OUTLAW AND A LADY

2018 Julie Roberts

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Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by W Publishing, an imprint of Thomas Nelson.

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This is a work of nonfiction. The events and experiences detailed herein are all true and have been faithfully rendered as remembered by the author, to the best of her abilities. Some names and other identifying characteristics have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals involved.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are from New American Standard Bible (NASB). Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org

Quotation in chapter 18 taken from National Multiple Sclerosis Society, What Causes MS? https://www.nationalmssociety.org/What-is-MS/What-Causes-MS, accessed October 17, 2017.

Epub Edition August 2018 9780785217336

ISBN 978-0-7852-1733-6 (eBook)

ISBN 978-0-7852-1959-0 (TP)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018905107

Printed in the United States of America

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To all the young girls in this world who dare to dream big

I blame Mama for my love of sad country songs.

Contents

F ew people can truly say, I am living my dream, but I really was. From my perspective, I had made it! Life was great. As a country music recording artist, I had achieved a gold albuma major milestone in the music world, signifying sales of more than five hundred thousand albums. I traveled on a beautiful tour bus, with a full band, singing concerts and meeting people all over the country. Mama joined me on the bus anytime she could break away from her full-time job as an accountant at a local mattress factory, and her presence made everything I was doing even more special to me.

I loved being on the road. I told my booking agent, Keep me busy. The only time I want to come home is to work on my new album or to get my roots done. Of course, for me, the ultimate sign of my newfound success was that I was now a client of the same hairstylist who styled the hair of my childhood music idol, Barbara Mandrell! I know it seems silly, but that meant something significant to me. I was doing everything that I had envisioned and that I had asked God to allow me to do. My dreams of succeeding in the music business were coming true.

I was also working on my second album, hoping to follow the success of Break Down Here, a hit song from my first album, Julie Roberts, and to keep the momentum going. I expected my career and my personal life to continue to flourish. Then, in a matter of seconds, my dreams turned to nightmares.

I was playing at the Orange Peel, a well-known club in Asheville, North Carolina, to an enthusiastic crowd pressed in tightly all the way to the front of the stage. More than one thousand people were packed into the venue, and the audience brimmed with enthusiasm. Many fans standing at the front of the stage knew my songs and sang the words along with me. It was a fabulous experience, something that most every music artist dreams of happening.

My band and I were putting on a great show, and everything seemed to be hitting just the right notewhen suddenly, in the middle of my set, my vision became blurry and I lost the sense of feeling in my hands. Weird electricity-like shocks shot down my back from my head to my toes. Stark terror seared through me. Whats going on? I thought. This is weird! The electric shocks dissipated quickly, and I didnt feel any other serious pain at the moment, but my eyesight remained blurred. I knew something was seriously wrong, but I kept on singing. I could hear people singing along with me, even though I could no longer see the audience members standing right in front of the stage.

Im right-handed, so I was holding my microphone in that hand. When my hand went weak and then numb, I switched the mike to my left hand and continued the song. Then the same thing happened with my left hand. Now I was really scared. I cant even hold on to the microphone!.

Fortunately, there was a microphone stand onstage, so I struggled awkwardly to place the mike on the stand and finished my full set standing almost motionless in front of it. As the band played a reprise of Break Down Here, I walked toward the right side of the stage, where my tour manager met me and hooked his arm in mine, just as he did after each show. He aimed the beam of his flashlight on the floor so I could walk through the dimly lit backstage area. That night I needed his assistance more than ever.

Following the show, I wanted to sign pictures and albums for my fans, as I always did. Whatever those strange sensations are in my body, Ill deal with them later, I thought. I didnt want to disappoint the fans who were waiting patiently in line. I sat at a table and signed whatever anyone put in front of me, but I really couldnt see what I was writing. My sense of feeling in my fingers had returned slightly, so I could hold a Sharpie, but I was writing blindly. Fortunately, by that point in my young career, I had already signed a lot of autographs, so signing my name without seeing it wasnt that difficult.