When we were born, Annette Funicello had already finished her childhood career as a Mouseketeer. She was the American Girl. She was born in Utica, NY. Her mother and father; Joseph, an auto repair shop owner and Virginia Funicello a homemaker, were Italian-Americans.
As a child, she was very shy. Her parents enrolled her in dance and music classes to help her overcome her shyness. She was four years old when her family moved to Southern California.
Mouseketeer days
It was there, at the age of 12, that she was discovered by Walt Disney. He saw her at a dance recital. She was the Swan Queen in “Swan Lake”. He immediately chose her to be one of the original Mouseketeers.
Annette Funicello was the only Mouseketeer chosen by Walt, and she ended up being one of the most popular. After her "career" as a Mouseketeer on the Mickey Mouse Club ended in 1959, she was still under contract with Disney.
She appeared in several TV shows and movies as she grew up. One of my favorites (as a kid) was “The Shaggy Dog”. She became a teen idol after moving on from Disney to American International Pictures. As a teen, who didn't like seeing Annette, Frankie, and Moon Doggie, in the Beach Party movies in the 60's?
She married her first husband, Jack Giraldi who was also her agent, in 1965. They divorced in 1982. They had three children, Gina, Jack Jr. and Jason. She married her second husband, Glen Holt, a racehorse breeder, in 1986 and is still with him now.
Early signs
She began noticing that something was wrong in 1987, when she was working on the "Back to the Beach" movie with Frankie Avalon. She couldn't seem to keep her balance. In the beginning, she kept the symptoms from her family.
Not too long after the balance problems, she noticed her eyesight seemed to be getting worse. After visiting the ophthalmologist several times in only six months and getting her glasses changed twice, he suggested she see a neurologist.
The neurologist ordered an MRI to confirm a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. She didn't really know much about MS and was more worried she might have a brain tumor. When the doctor showed her the pictures of the white spots on her brain, she was relieved.
Sharing the news
Only her mother, her husband knew that she had MS in the beginning. Physically she felt good for several years. She didn't tell her father for two years because she knew he would worry. She finally told him in 1989. It was difficult for him to keep it together when he saw his little girl.
With her children, she told them it was a disease effecting the central nervous system (CNS). She would share with them little by little the symptoms she was feeling. Not knowing what would happen and when was hard for them.
Annette had symptoms like tingling and numbness in her feet. She also had tingling in her hands. All these would come and go. One time she had a viral infection and a high fever. She lost her ability to walk and needed her husband to carry her to the bathroom. After three days, the fever and the symptoms went away.
Cir has had this happen to him on more than one occasion. Any type of infection can cause your MS symptoms to flare up. It is important to try and keep from getting infections. We know this may be impossible to do all the time.
While on a year long tour with her friend, Frankie, Annette felt she had to tell him that she had MS. He was shocked when he found out why she was having balance problems.
It's time
In 1991, she had a return of the numbness and tingling in her feet. She also needed to use a cane when she began experiencing vertigo. Her sons friend saw her leaving a restaurant and told her son that his mom must have had a few too many drinks.
After phone calls from tabloids to neighbors, friends, and family asking about her health, she finally decided it was time to go public with her illness. She called a publicist at Disney and told them to get in touch with USA Today. She was going to go nationwide with her diagnosis of MS.
She felt that no one wanted to believe that something bad could happen to Annette Funicello. Once she went public, she received support from friends and family. They offered their love and prayers.
Many different therapies
She tried many different therapies that were available at the time. She tried steroids, acupuncture and acupressure, herbal medicines and vitamin B-12 shots in her legs. None of them seemed to help.
Her Catholic faith and her determination have helped her to cope with MS. Her family has become closer. Her husband has always been by her side. She knew she had to make certain adjustments to cope with her disease.
She exercised three times a week and tried not to stress out. She told herself that tomorrow would be better.
Annette Funicello is a fighter. She doesn't want to be treated like an invalid or have people feel pity for her. She lives each day with the hope that there will be a cure for MS.
Living Hopefully
"When I wake up in the morning, I like to imagine, "This is the day I'm going to hear about an MS cure on the news." I know it may be a long way off, but what a glorious morning that will be." ~ Annette Funicello
People Magazine – August 17, 1992 |
In 1993, she started the Annette Funicello Fund for Neurological Disorders at the California Community Foundation. 
In 1994 she published her autobiography - A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes: My Story. This, in turn, was made into a TV movie. “A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes: The Annette Funicello Story” in 1995.
That same year, she began the Annette Funicello Collectible Bear Company. The last collection was released in 2004. You can still find a few circulating if you look.
In the past few years, MS has made life more and more difficult for Annette. She has vision problems, breathing problems and at times it's hard to talk. Her family makes things as comfortable and normal as they can. Through it all, she continues to be poised and hopeful.
If you like to reminisce, or even if you've never heard her before, watch her interview as she talks about her music. You can see why so many people love Annette Funicello.
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