As I read Suleika's post about her cancer and music I was very impressed by her. Not only was she a strong person and always write stuff which struck the same chord in my heart, she was also a fine musician.
Juilliard. I remember it was my friend's dream college.
How she described the period when we got diagnosed and we stop playing the music we once loved. I even avoided listening to music and left my guitar collecting dust in the corner of my room. It was very complicated, I knew music could calm the anger in me but I didn't want to "spoil" anything i had previously.
She wrote,
Last spring, one year out of college, I found myself once again commuting from upstate to the big city. Same train, same route. But this time I was on my way to see an oncologist. I was 22 and I had just been given a diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia. My relationship with music changed abruptly. I no longer had the stamina or the interest in playing the bass. And once I entered the hospital to begin my intensive chemotherapy treatments, I stopped listening to music altogether.
In this post she also mentioned, her friend brought the entire jazz band into the ward.
And I remember one night at SGH, i had almost a 10 piece NUS wind Sym band in my ward, sitting around me. They didn't have their instruments but they sat there cheering me up with all sorts of jokes and conversations. We shared all the fruits my visitors got for me. Actually i didn't have any appetite but i joined in the session simply i felt "happier" at that point of time.
I may not have the music, but that night was equally pleasant as compared to Suleika's surprised performance.
I finally picked up my guitar towards the end of treatment and now I've resume guitar lessons.
<3 the musicians in my life.
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