London cancer survivors release song for patients on waiting list

'I sang every aria just in case it was my last time'

Three London musicians who survived cancer have released a song called About Time to give a voice to people still on waiting lists for treatment, and to those recovering from the disease.

Soprano opera singer Monica McGhee, 36, based in south-east London, wrote the song after she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.

Ms McGhee said she was so worried she would never be able to sing again that she performed arias from all her dream roles the night before her surgery.

She said she hoped those who had experienced cancer would feel less isolated when hearing the song, adding: "There is something so comforting about not feeling alone when you are waiting for something in your life to get better."

Recent Cancer Research UK data suggests patients with cancers affecting the head and neck were among the most likely to face long waits in England - with just over half seen within the target of 62 days.

The song's pianist Lee Michael Walton, 50, waited seven months for the operation on his rare facial cancer because it was so complex - a 21-hour procedure which included facial reconstruction and involved 15 surgeons.

He described it as one of the most difficult periods of his life.

Tenor opera singer Toby Spence, 55, who also performed on the song, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer the day after a performance at the Royal Opera House - but had to wait almost two months for his surgery.

Ms McGhee, who lives in the Greenwich area, found a lump on her neck in 2017, the same year she performed at the FA Cup Final at Wembley.

She had her operation within a week, but said her mind was full of worries while she waited for treatment at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital.

“I took myself to a church the night before (the operation) and I sang every single aria of every single role that was on my wish list," she said.

"That was the last the last thing I did just in case I never, never got to sing again."

Mr Walton, from Streatham in south London, said after his diagnosis he went for a walk at Borough Market but was "in a daze, not really being present, just picking things up and being aware that I was not of my usual mind".

"In that waiting time, all kinds of fantasies are going on in your head about possible scenarios.

"Particularly as I was living alone, that coming home to a flat on my own - your thoughts would be really loud."

During Mr Walton's surgery, which was also at Guy's, part of his face was lifted up and bone, skin and veins from his leg were used to rebuild the roof of his mouth.

He was unable to speak or sing for weeks afterwards but went through intensive speech therapy and has made a full recovery.

Mr Spence, from Islington in north London, said receiving his diagnosis just a day after such an important concert was "a strange moment".

His cancer metastasized "quite forcefully" into his lymph nodes.

"It was a much bigger operation than it needed to be... it had spread all the way up my neck to 23 lymph nodes and so that was the really difficult part," he said.

A University College London hospitals team removed his thyroid and several lymph nodes and he began having daily singing lessons to learn how to use his voice again.

"I started to be able to make some sound, it was very sort of whispery, and I thought it might never come back," he added.

"I think I got very solitary, very monosyllabic during that time. I won't sugar coat it - I was in a very, very bad place at that time."

He said his outlook on life had changed since his illness.

"Just having enough stuff, having enough love, enough security and enough health... that was to me, the greatness of the whole thing."

All three have now returned to performing - with soprano Ms McGhee due to make her English National Opera principal debut on the anniversary of her cancer diagnosis, in February.

She said: "The whole point of [About Time] is that someone, somewhere, is going to say 'oh my gosh, that's how I felt' - and that feels validating.

"Hopefully we are testament, the three of us, to the fact that you can have not just life-altering, but career-altering illnesses and you can keep going."

Mr Walton said the finished piece captured "the essence of that precious time, the waiting time and the sense of hope... that kind of yearning".

"It's not an easy feat," he said.

The three artists were brought together by insurance company Zurich Accelerate to perform the song, and members of the public can find out more about their experiences on the company's website.

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