Michael Downing, whose books illuminated his illness and the lives of others, dies at 62
By Bryan Marquard Globe Staff,Updated February 28, 2021, 4:38 p.m.
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Mr. Downing, equally adept at fiction and nonfiction, wrote nine books. (Pat Greenhouse/Globe staff/file)
At 45, Michael Downing learned that his excellent health was a mirage, obscuring a genetic defect that probably had led to his fatherâs death from a heart attack at 44.
The first symptom of his demise, he learned, would be abrupt and final. A series of doctors âleaned a little forward in their chairs and said the words âsudden deathâ to me,â he later recalled.