Heather Bellamy spoke with Paul Poulton

Heather: In those two years when you said you couldn't get out of bed, did that mean you couldn't work; that you couldn't play in your band? What effect did that have on your life?

Paul: Sometimes it did mean I couldn't work, but I still did try to do a few gigs. I remember travelling down south once with my band and I was feeling horrible. We got to the gig and I just wanted to sleep. It was actually Maidstone prison that we were playing in that day and so they left me in the van just outside the prison to sleep. I just fell asleep and there was a knock on the van door and it was the police; they thought it was suspicious. When they opened the back up and there was me in amongst all the equipment sleeping it looked even worse. We had to explain the whole story to them and by the time we had finished doing that it was time to go in and do the gig. I do remember that particular gig because I felt so bad doing it, but I did enjoy music; there's so much in it; there's strength we get when we play music that somehow I felt strong doing the concert; but then when I finished the concert I just wanted to lie down again, so my friends in the band drove me back.

Heather: How did you recover from this mystery illness?

Paul: I asked two ladies to pray for me. They were two pastors in Birmingham called Miss Fisher and Miss Reeve. I remember they came around my house and prayed for me. I started to feel improved after that and it was a very gradual process. It wasn't an instant thing, but I started to feel well and I got my strength back. I think it's really important that we do look after our health. I'm not quite sure what made me bad; I've got a few ideas, but I can't say for definite and they never concluded what was wrong with me. Now I try to look after my health; I try to eat properly; I run and where I live there are lots of trails and I go on a seven mile run and I try and do that most days; or go to the gym if I can't do the run. I've got my strength back, which is great and I thank God that he heard the prayer of Miss Fisher and Miss Reeve.