I know you’re frightened right now. You’ve just been told you have breast cancer, and you have no idea how much your life is about to change.
You’ll be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013, have a mastectomy, receive chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and be a proud "survivor”, but it isn't easy after all the medical appointments stop.
There will be days when you look in the mirror and struggle to recognise yourself. Your hair won’t grow back after chemotherapy, and for the next 13 years you’ll wear wigs. You’ll develop lymphoedema in your left arm, sometimes so badly that it will be a constant reminder of what you’ve been through.
Having counselling helped but once you've had cancer it can change you in ways you didn't expect and can't explain.
In 2018, you’ll see a Tenovus Cancer Care Choir perform at an event in Menai Bridge. You’ll be blown away by their energy, their cheerfulness and the sheer joy they bring. You’ll think about joining the Bangor Sing with Us choir, but you’ll keep putting it off. For reasons you won’t really understand, it won’t happen until 2024, after a significant change in your life.
And then you’ll finally walk through those doors.
You’ll be nervous, but you’ll be welcomed with warmth. When you hear Sing for Life for the first time, you’ll cry, because those words will mean more to you than you can put into words.
You’ve never performed before, but you’ll soon find your voice.
You’ll make friends. You’ll laugh. You’ll sing. You’ll look forward to Thursday evenings – to the catch-up brew, the laughter and the amazing songs.
Most importantly, you’ll find yourself surrounded by people who understand. People who know that cancer doesn’t simply end when treatment ends.
Nearly two years on, you’ll realise that joining the choir was one of the best decisions you’ve ever made. It’s given you friendship, confidence, laughter and a sense of belonging, while allowing you to support a charity that means so much to you.
