‘Something to Sing About’ wins Astellas Changing Tomorrow Award

‘Something to Sing About’- a network of choirs for cancer survivors founded by Galway University Hospital’s Dr Paul Donnellan – has won an Astellas ‘Changing Tomorrow’ National Award. The award recognises the achievement of Irish health professionals striving to make a better future for their patients.
 
‘Something to Sing About’ (STSA), based at Galway University Hospitals, was launched in November 2012 and already has a network of 16 choirs in Ireland and one in Australia, with expressions of interest from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Hospital, New York and 14 Breast Cancer support centres in the UK.
 
Speaking of the rationale for starting STSA Dr Paul Donnellan said, “A diagnosis of cancer is shocking and undoubtedly a life-altering event. STSA celebrates the fact that most patients diagnosed with common cancers such as breast and prostate cancer turn out to be cancer survivors: 80% of prostate cancer patients will survive their disease; 90% of breast cancer patients live longer than 5 years, and many of these are cured. Overall some 65% of cancer patients can expect to be long term survivors. This is surely something to sing about!
 
“Cancer survivors continue to need ongoing support, especially from fellow survivors and choir practice can be very therapeutic. We have members of all ages attending our weekly rehearsals in locations all around the Country; all of the choirs meet at 7pm on Wednesdays which adds to the sense of a unified purpose and means that members can drop-in to rehearse with other centres when away from home.
 
“The individual choirs practise locally and then come together for plenary rehearsals, concerts and recordings. We had a very successful carol singing outing in December and our second plenary rehearsal took place in Claremorris on 24 February with over 150 members in attendance.”
 
The Musical Director for STSA is Séamus Leonard, HIPE Project Manager at Galway University Hospitals (GUH), who also directs the GUH Choral Society. “The STSA music pieces which the cancer survivors sing are chosen for a variety of reasons. The therapeutic value of singing and the songs is always to the fore. The songs can be uplifting, joyous, encouraging or thought-provoking but at all times the emphasis is on the fun and collegiality of the group” explained Seamus.
 
“Winning the Astellas Changing Tomorrow Award gave all the choir members and volunteers a huge boost. It is incredible to think that a few short months ago this was just a germ of an idea and now we have won our first award. I would like to acknowledge the enthusiasm and enduring sense of humour that all our singer-survivors demonstrate week after week along with our energetic volunteers and musical directors.”
 
For anyone interested in joining STSA either as a singer-survivor or general volunteer, please go to www.stsa.ie and follow the link to the Facebook page and Twitter account. New singers and new choirs are welcome!
 
Photo caption:
‘Something to Sing About’ (STSA), a network of choirs for cancer survivors started by Dr Paul Donnellan, Consultant Medical Oncologist at Galway University Hospitals and Mayo General Hospital won the Astellas Changing Tomorrow award for “Hope”. At the presentation of the award, from left: Dr Paul Donnellan; Florence Kearney, Singer Survivor with the Galway STSA Choir; Seamus Leonard, Galway University Hospitals and Musical Director for the Galway STSA Choir; and Donal Gill, Medical Social Worker, Galway University Hospitals.