Singer/Songwriter from Bloomfield Hills Defies the Odds

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI — Ali McManus isn’t a typical college student, not by a long shot. The Oakland University freshman is a singer/songwriter and budding recording artist working on her debut EP who has fought through numerous medical obstacles and long hospital stints while inspiring all who see her perform.

The 19-year-old Bloomfield Hills High School graduate is scheduled to take the stage during the Downtown Rochester Farmers’ Market, located at the corner of East Third and Water Street, around noon on Saturday, Oct. 8.

After being born three months premature, weighing only two pounds/seven ounces (and dropping to one pound/seven ounces in the neonatal ICU) with only a 50/50 chance to live, Ali McManus beat those odds for survival and has continued to so do in the face of daunting medical conditions with a positive attitude, courage, strength, perseverance and a need to inspire others.

A rare bone disorder, including a severe case of scoliosis and osteoporosis, has left her in a wheelchair since the age of seven. She has gone through a total of 10 surgeries, one which confined her to a full body cast at the age of nine for 67 days. She has also endured numerous halo tractions in which a metal frame was literally screwed into her skull while 45-pound weights were hung from it in hopes of straightening and aligning her spine.

Complicating matters, the osteoporosis has affected her skeletal frame to the point it is equivalent to that of an 80-90 year old, resulting in constant fractures, including the collapse of her right hip socket which occurred during a high-risk surgery.

At age 13, McManus spent nine months at Shriners Hospital in St. Louis, MO. In 2010, she underwent a 12-hour spinal fusion surgery to insert steel rods into the length of her back and neck to fuse and straighten her spine which had twisted to a curvature of 145 degrees, crushing her internal organs and decreasing her lung capacity to 19 percent.

Through all of the challenges, she has utilized her passion for music as a healing outlet beginning when she began singing and writing music at the age of four, while her friends were playing outside and she was trapped indoors. She took up the piano at the age of 14 and guitar at 16. The music – writing, lessons, performing – became something to look forward to and allowed her to express her feelings. It also was a distraction from her constant pain.

“By going through all of this and more, I have made it my goal to inspire and impact as many people as I can, and I do this through music,” McManus said. “I write original songs that reflect my life and I hope to impact someone else’s life through my messages.”

While at Shriners Hospital, she discovered the power of her music to uplift others. The staff recognized it too and awarded her the title of “Patient Ambassador” for the positive affect her music exhibited. She has carried this positivity back to her hometown and continues to sing and play piano and guitar regularly at area appearances, events, festivals, fundraisers and coffee houses, including special performances at Beaumont and Children’s Hospitals.

“I am so excited at what’s to come in my near future. Yes, life has been hard and painful daily but I know I have a great life ahead where I will be the best I can be,” McManus said. “Also, I will show others that you are who you are, no one else, so just be your best self and remember to smile.”

As her musical talents, confidence and experience continue to grow, she finished in the semi-finals in the 2014 “Sphinx Stars: Detroit.” This musical competition is held annually by the Sphinx Organization, a Detroit-based national organization dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts. With more than 300 performers trying out, she finished in the top three.

Under the tutelage and guidance of voice coach Jennifer Kincer, she takes any opportunity to show her musical talents in public, making an estimated 100-125 appearances in the past three years alone.

A priority for her is performing at hospitals, which provides her the greatest feeling of being able to give back. She has held true to her word that once she was well enough she would return to perform and help others heal.

McManus has written several original songs and is in the process of producing her debut EP. McManus has written several original songs and is in the process of producing her debut EP. While not yet fully-edited, her single, “Wings,” can be heard here.

She has also written several short stories with the hopes of someday authoring inspirational books aimed at children confined to hospital beds or in waiting rooms.

Her life is a testimonial that music really does help heal.

More information is found here.You can follow McManus on Facebook here.

Written by Jeff Corey

Photo by Shellie Jaksen