By Marjorie Ritchie

The country music star, Alan Jackson, and I have several things in common. Unfortunately, the ability to sing and write songs is not one of them. However, my fellow Georgian and I both grew up in nearby towns located southwest of Atlanta. Being part of the same generation, Jackson was born and raised in Newnan, Georgia, and I was raised “way down yonder on the Chattahoochee” in the river town of West Point, Georgia.

Each year when my husband and I travel home, we stop by the famous Sprayberry’s Barbecue restaurant in Newnan. We head to our favorite booth where the autographed photo of Alan Jackson hangs proudly on the wall. In the 1970s, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed teenage Jackson waited tables at Sprayberry’s. Sadly, during my frequent trips to this legendary barbecue joint, I never spotted the future heartthrob of country music when he was serving barbecue and Brunswick stew to Newnan locals.

In September 2021, I learned that Alan Jackson and I are members of the same world, a world of people living everyday with the degenerative nerve disease called Charcot-Marie-Tooth. In an interview with NBC’s Today show, Jackson announced that he has been living with this hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy (HMSN) which causes weakness in the feet, lower legs and hands. Jackson explained that he inherited the disease from his daddy and that he has been coping with the debilitating effects of the disease for the past decade.

Saddened to hear of Jackson’s diagnosis, I immediately understood his daily challenges because I live in a similar world where this disease has challenged not only my life, but also the lives of my mother, grandfather and great-grandmother.

Country Music Television (CMT) has been good to Alan Jackson, but Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease, ironically known as CMT, has not.

During the past few years, the country music star has been struggling with balance issues while performing. As a result of these physical challenges, Jackson is slowly bringing his touring career to a close.

Country music fans undoubtedly will miss his presence on stage, but those of us living with CMT understand the difficulties and disappointments that Jackson faces.

A rare disease occurring in 1 out of 2,500 people, CMT is caused by mutations in the genes that affect the peripheral nerves leading to the feet/lower legs and the hands/forearms. The mutations damage either the nerve axons or the protective myelin sheath that surrounds the nerves. As a result of this nerve damage, a person with CMT may experience abnormality with walking, lack of coordination and balance, as well as hand contractures, muscle weakness and reduced sensation of touch. Since there is no cure for this non-life-threatening disease, the most common treatments involve physical and occupational therapy, as well as orthotics and bracing. Sometimes orthopedic surgery can help someone with lowering the high arches of the foot and fusing ankle joints to provide stability.

In 2020, the Neurology Department within the UNC School of Medicine was named a Charcot-Marie-Tooth Center of Excellence for its outstanding work in clinical care and research. Patients diagnosed with CMT can be evaluated and followed by UNC neurologists who specialize in hereditary neuropathies. Dr. Rebecca Traub, a CMT specialist, said in an interview: “I am optimistic that there are a number of exciting new research studies and approved treatments on the near-horizon for patients with CMT.” With the field of genetic research having expanded rapidly over the past decade, there is now real hope for a possible therapy or cure in Jackson’s and my lifetime.

The Charcot-Marie Tooth Research Foundation (CMTRF) is playing a significant role in bringing hope to CMT patients with its funding of numerous research projects and possible treatments. During his “Last Call” tour, Jackson donated a portion of each ticket sale to benefit CMTRF and its research. As a person challenged daily by CMT, I am grateful to Jackson for using his wonderful voice to raise awareness and understanding of this rare disease that has been a part of my family for generations. I look forward to the day when I will finally be able to say “Remember When” Alan Jackson and I had CMT.

Visit www.cmtrf.org to learn about CMT research.

Marjorie Ritchie, a Georgia native, lives in Gold Hill.