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Peter Frampton’s Doctors Hope To Highlight Rare Disease
Andy Kropa/Invision/AP, File – Peter Frampton
Doctors at Johns Hopkins University hope to raise awareness and funds for research following famed guitarist Peter Frampton’s announcement that he has a rare muscular disease.
Frampton’s physician, Lisa Christopher-Stine, is the director of the Johns Hopkins Myositis Center. She tells The Baltimore Sun that she and Frampton spoke years ago about potentially becoming a voice for inclusion body myositis.
Because the disease is rare, it’s difficult to generate funding.
The disease causes weakness in the legs, forearms and fingers. Its cause is still unknown. As it will eventually prevent Frampton from playing guitar, the 68-year-old is embarking on a farewell tour this summer.
He’s also launched a fund at Hopkins to which he’ll donate $1 per ticket sold.
Hopkins is also participating in two clinical trials for possible treatments.
“I’m a perfectionist and I do not want to go out there and feel like, ‘Oh I can’t, this isn’t good.’ That would be a nightmare for me,” he told “CBS This Morning: Saturday” interviewer Anthony Mason in announcing his diagnosis. “It’s my passion, I’ve been playing guitar for 60 years. Started when I was eight and now I’m 68. So, I’ve had a very good run.”
He adds, “The reason I’m calling it the ‘farewell tour,’ again, is because I know that I will be at the top of my game for this tour and I will make it through this and people won’t be saying, ‘Oh you know, he can’t play as good.’ I can. But we just don’t know for how long.”