Musician Christopher Cross calls COVID-19 experience the 'darkest of times,' urges mask wearing

Christopher Cross is opening up about his experience with COVID-19.

During an appearance on "CBS Sunday Morning" Sunday, the musician, 69, described having the coronavirus as "the worst 10 days of my life."

"I couldn't walk, could barely move," he said, explaining he was also diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, causing his body to attack his nerves, which his doctors believe was caused by the virus. "And so, it was certainly the darkest of times for me, you know? It really was touch-and-go, and tough."

He said he believes he contracted the virus in early March while at a concert in Mexico City.

"To be frank, nobody knew about masks or anything like that... We weren't made aware that it was a problem," he said, adding he and his with his girlfriend both tested positive. "We were sick for about three weeks. The biggest thing I remember is just incredible malaise, you couldn't move your head."

In April, while feeling better and out shopping, Cross explained how his legs "gave out."

"Boom, I'm paralyzed. I'm in the hospital but I can't turn over, I can barely do anything. My hands were also paralytic, which is hard because I play the guitar of course, so I wasn't sure whether I would get that back," he said.

While battling his illness in intensive care for 10 days, he said he turned to God.

“There was some, you know, come-to-Jesus moments or whatever, where I was looking for any help I could get to through this, to get out of this thing," he said. "Because I wasn’t sure."

He continued, "I could tell you that I had a few conversations, you know, when I was in there – with whoever He or She is, and just saying, you know, 'If you could just get me out of here, I will be a better person.' "

He also urged others to take the virus seriously.

"I'm not a big celebrity, but it's important for people to know you can get this disease," he said. "And so, I felt it was sort of my obligation to share with people: 'Look, this is a big deal. Like, you've got to wear your mask. You've got to take care of each other. Because, you know, this could happen to you.' "

He also said, while the paralysis he experienced was temporary, he's still suffering impacts as he recovers.

"So yeah, my walking is affected," he explained. "My speech at times can be affected. Memory is a big deal, too. Just neurologically, I'm kind of a little foggy, you know? Now I'm on medication … a nerve pain medication, which also can cause some of the fogginess. But until I can get off it at some point, I won't know how clear I would be. But most people with Guillain-Barre heal about 90% to 100% over about a year. That's what my prognosis is."

Cross revealed his diagnosis in a Facebook post in April, writing, “I’m sorry to report that I am among the growing number of Americans who tested positive for the COVID-19 virus."

Though he did not say he was hospitalized at the time, he added, "This is possibly the worst illness I have ever had."

"For those of you who still do not believe the COVID-19 virus is real, or think it is a 'hoax' or part of some conspiracy, my advice to you is to understand right now that this is a deadly illness spreading like wildfire throughout the world," Cross, who lives in Austin, Texas, wrote.

Cross is a a Grammy- and Oscar-winning artist, known for early 1980s hits "Sailing" and "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" from the movie "Arthur."

Contributing: Peter Blackstock, Austin American-Statesman

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Christopher Cross calls COVID-19 paralysis the 'darkest of times'