Melissa Gilbert to Undergo Surgery for Broken Back - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Zoneboy · 07-14-2010, 10:44 PM

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Actress Melissa Gilbert received bad news following a visit to a Los Angeles doctor earlier this month. According to People magazine, her doctor told her,"Your back is broken, and it has been for months."

Gilbert, 46, has been playing the role of Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the touring musical Little House on the Prairie, based on the show she starred in as a child and teenager, since it debuted in 2008 and continued to perform on stage despite recent back pain.

"I would balk and fight it and say, 'I've got to do the show," Gilbert said. "If it got really bad and I lost feeling in my legs or couldn't move, I'd go to the ER."

She is scheduled to undergo surgery on July 22. Doctors are scheduled to replace a disc as well as fuse a vertebra in her lower spine. This type of procedure has a recovery time of six months, although Gilbert plans to return to work sometime in fall. However, she will not be returning to the stage, opting for less strenuous film work instead.

"I thought doing a musical at 46 playing a woman in her late 20s, early 30s was amazing enough," she said. "But doing it with a broken back buys me a little more street cred."

On the television series, which ran between 1974 and 1983, Gilbert played Caroline Ingall's daughter "Laura 'half-pint' Ingalls", the author of the 1930s children's books that inspired the show. In addition to acting, Gilbert served as the president of the Screen Actors Guild from 2001 to 2005.

For now, the musical is on hiatus and the producers hope to make the leap to Broadway in the near future. It is not known whether or not Gilbert will resume her role.

She told the New York Times in 2008 that she feels "deeply protective" of the story and had told Karen Grassle, who played Caroline Ingalls on television, that hers were "big shoes to fill." She also said she would like to think Michael Landon, who played family patriarch Charles Ingalls and passed away in 1991 of pancreatic cancer at age 54, would have liked the musical.

Marvo301 · 07-14-2010, 10:58 PM

Best wishes to Melissa Gilbert for a full and speedy recovery.

catlover79 · 07-15-2010, 01:31 AM

Holy cow!! God bless Melissa and hope she gets well soon!!

80sTrivia · 07-15-2010, 04:59 PM

I wish Melissa a complete & speedy recovery from her surgery!

PracTz · 07-25-2010, 05:18 PM

According to both her own (and Alison Arngrim's)Twitter accounts (yes, I looked at these), Melissa Gilbert came through Thursday's back surgery fine and it appears to be a success. I don't know how long a recouperation this will involve, though. Still, it was good to see that Alison was among those giving her encouragement AND that they both used humor to help her through this! As odd as it may sound to the rest of us re Laura and Nellie, I think one of the best parts of being on the show for them was becoming lifelong friends.

07-14-2010, 10:44 PM	#1
Zoneboy RIP, I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU :( Moderator Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 13, 2003 Location: AT HOME WISHING ALL THIS WAS JUST A DREAM AND THAT I'LL WAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE. Posts: 34,386	Melissa Gilbert to Undergo Surgery for Broken Back Link Actress Melissa Gilbert received bad news following a visit to a Los Angeles doctor earlier this month. According to People magazine, her doctor told her,"Your back is broken, and it has been for months." Gilbert, 46, has been playing the role of Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the touring musical Little House on the Prairie, based on the show she starred in as a child and teenager, since it debuted in 2008 and continued to perform on stage despite recent back pain. "I would balk and fight it and say, 'I've got to do the show," Gilbert said. "If it got really bad and I lost feeling in my legs or couldn't move, I'd go to the ER." She is scheduled to undergo surgery on July 22. Doctors are scheduled to replace a disc as well as fuse a vertebra in her lower spine. This type of procedure has a recovery time of six months, although Gilbert plans to return to work sometime in fall. However, she will not be returning to the stage, opting for less strenuous film work instead. "I thought doing a musical at 46 playing a woman in her late 20s, early 30s was amazing enough," she said. "But doing it with a broken back buys me a little more street cred." On the television series, which ran between 1974 and 1983, Gilbert played Caroline Ingall's daughter "Laura 'half-pint' Ingalls", the author of the 1930s children's books that inspired the show. In addition to acting, Gilbert served as the president of the Screen Actors Guild from 2001 to 2005. For now, the musical is on hiatus and the producers hope to make the leap to Broadway in the near future. It is not known whether or not Gilbert will resume her role. She told the New York Times in 2008 that she feels "deeply protective" of the story and had told Karen Grassle, who played Caroline Ingalls on television, that hers were "big shoes to fill." She also said she would like to think Michael Landon, who played family patriarch Charles Ingalls and passed away in 1991 of pancreatic cancer at age 54, would have liked the musical.
	__________________ 'Twas The Night Before Christmas And All Through The Full House Not A Creature Was Stirring, Not Even Mighty Mouse. All My Children We're Nestled All Snug In Their Beds While Visions Of Sugarbakers Danced In Their Heads.

07-14-2010, 10:58 PM	#2
Marvo301 I'm NOT a Blockhead! Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 21,456	Best wishes to Melissa Gilbert for a full and speedy recovery.
	__________________ Only a life lived for others is worth living. Albert Einstein A life isn't worth living unless it has impact on other lives. Jackie Robinson Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. Benjamin Franklin

07-15-2010, 01:31 AM	#3
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,382	Holy cow!! God bless Melissa and hope she gets well soon!!
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07-15-2010, 04:59 PM	#4
80sTrivia Member Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 23, 2002 Posts: 21,714	I wish Melissa a complete & speedy recovery from her surgery!
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07-25-2010, 05:18 PM	#5
PracTz Member Senior Member Join Date: Jul 14, 2002 Location: United States of America [Happily Living in the 20th Century] Posts: 2,711	According to both her own (and Alison Arngrim's)Twitter accounts (yes, I looked at these), Melissa Gilbert came through Thursday's back surgery fine and it appears to be a success. I don't know how long a recouperation this will involve, though. Still, it was good to see that Alison was among those giving her encouragement AND that they both used humor to help her through this! As odd as it may sound to the rest of us re Laura and Nellie, I think one of the best parts of being on the show for them was becoming lifelong friends.