Cancer Fighters Thrive is a quarterly print and online magazine bringing readers practical, innovative and inspirational information about cancer treatment and survivorship.
Issue link: http://cancerfightersthrive.epubxp.com/i/259111
10 cancer fighters thrive | spring 2014 cf thrive. com A SPIRITUAL COMMUNITY When Melinda Pollack was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004, she sought out a support group that incorporated music. As an avid singer, she was surprised to fnd that there were all kinds of support groups focused on activities from laugh- ter therapy to yoga but nothing specif- cally dedicated to music. "I feel that music is a healing type of activity on so many levels, so I was just really surprised to learn that it wasn't available as part of a support group for cancer patients," Pollack recalls. "So I decided to start something on my own." By the spring of 2005, Pollack's idea of creating a small gathering where cancer patients could sing together developed into the Sing to Live® Community Cho- rus. Based in the Chicago area, Pollack says the chorus, which has grown from 36 original singers to 80 singers in 2013, provides a musical outlet and a support- ive community that celebrates hope and survival for singers whose lives have been touched by breast cancer. In addition, the chorus provides the gift of music to the breast cancer community by, in part, offering complimentary concert tickets to breast cancer survivors. "There's so much compassion in the group," Pollack says. "And everyone is so connected because we all have some touch point with breast cancer. So many mem- bers have told me how happy they were to have Sing to Live there to provide an outlet and support. Many have said that singing in the chorus has brought them so much joy while also healing their spirit. I couldn't have dreamed up what an impact this would have on so many people." With the choir now entering its eighth season, Pollack says that participating helps members heal in a variety of ways. "For many it's the focus of learning the music and rehearsals—it helps the mem- bers forget about the disease while they're concentrating on the music," she explains. "For others, they fnd the sounds of the eight-part harmony to be soothing or they are impacted by the words of the songs. It's just beautiful. There are so many different ways music can spiritually touch someone." SPECIAL FEATURE A SPIRIT RENEWED Back at CTCA in Arizona, Juanita stares up at the stars twinkling in the night sky as she taps out a rhythm on a buffalo drum, the vibrations cutting through the stillness of the desert air. She loses her- self in the moment, worlds away from the fear and the anxiety she felt when she frst learned of the cancer diagnosis in the spring of 2013. Juanita may have found physical heal- ing in the leading-edge cancer treatments she received at CTCA, but she credits the drum circle for renewing her spirit. Hav- ing completed her last radiation therapy treatment at CTCA, she now schedules her follow-up visits around the ability to participate in the drum circle. "It's such an uplifting experience," Juan- ita says. "It is an opportunity to get lost in my feelings and communicate with my soul. It is a reminder that I am still here, that I am alive and that I am well." Source: cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/ complementaryandalternativemedicine/mindbodyand spirit/music-therapy. Juanita Acosta, far right, participates in the CTCA drum circle. cftSp#23vky.indd 10 2/3/14 11:10 PM