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Music connects breast-cancer
survivors
by Jennifer D'Ottavio - Aug. 23, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
A group of Valley women is using the gift of
song to face breast cancer head-on.
Sing for Life Breast Cancer Foundation was
founded by five-year breast-cancer survivor
and professional singer Laura Fial of
Scottsdale.
"I knew I wanted to surround myself with
women who were a part of my club, a club
you don't seek membership in," Fial said.
"The audition was simple: You survive breast
cancer."
Fial was diagnosed with breast cancer at the
age of 40. At the time, she was also dealing
with a divorce, causing her to become
depressed and adopt a negative attitude, she
said. Her radiation oncologist told her to
change her attitude and become more
positive and laugh and smile.
She said the doctor told her, "Laura,
everyone knows you're a singer, do what you
do best."
In 2001, she formed a choir of breast-
cancer survivors called the Soul Survivors.
That later evolved into the Sing for Life
Breast Cancer Foundation.
"We leave our cancer at the door with this
group," she said. "We're all here because of
the cancer, but we leave it at the door."
The choir has released five CDs, with
proceeds going to the Marilyn Nierenberg-
Shaoul Scholarship Fund. The fund gives two
$1,000 scholarships to oncology nursing
students every year. Recipients are chosen
by a committee of doctors and nurses.
"I remember having my mastectomy, crying
my eyes out, and they (nurses) held your
hand," Fial said. "I remember thinking to
myself, 'How do you say thank you to a
nurse?' They play such a role in our
recovery."
In May 2005, the Soul Survivors lost a key
member after a five-year struggle with
breast cancer. Marilyn Nierenberg-Shaoul
wrote and sang many of the songs as well as
created the artwork for the CDs.
The two women met when Fial was
promoting the choir's first CD. Nierenberg-
Shaoul handed Fial an envelope of poems,
and Fial was so touched by them that she
sent them overnight to a recording studio.
The song that caught Fial's attention was
Will He Walk Away ? It was written about a
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woman whose husband left her after she was
diagnosed with breast cancer. Its lyrics
capture the emotion a woman feels after she
is first diagnosed, Fial said.
"I remember tears streaming down my face. I
loved it. I felt connected to Marilyn; she knew
my story and we hadn't even talked about it,"
she said.
The second song, From Day One , was
originally written for Nierenberg-Shaoul's
two young daughters. Its catchy upbeat
melody tells women what they need to do in
life to protect themselves and how they
should live each day of their lives.
"From Day One, it's a struggle to survive,"
the lyrics read. "Be careful girl, try to stay
alive."
In 2003, Nierenberg-Shaoul's song Soul
Survivors: Fight For Life was nominated for a
Grammy Award. She wanted the song to be
an anthem for all women with breast cancer
and wanted every breast cancer survivor to
have a song just for them, Fial said.
"When you're first told you have breast
cancer, you can't explain what you feel," Fial
said. "It's almost as if it's an out-of-body
experience. When she was writing the song, I
saw that. It gave us a feeling of unity."
Whenever the choir sings the song, they
hold hands and look up at the sky as a
dedication to dedicate it to Nierenberg-
Shaoul.
Sing for Life choir membership is open to all
breast-cancer survivors. It offers not only a
time to sing, but time to support each other.
Members accompany each other to doctor
appointments and mammograms.
The group gives women confidence and a
chance to make friends with other survivors,
Fial said.
"If we give them the confidence to smile
again and sing, then we've done our job," she
said.
Throughout the year, the group holds
various fundraisers in the Valley. Picazzo's in
Tempe is currently sponsoring the "Giving
Back" dessert program. For every dessert
sold, Picazzo's donates $1 to the Sing for
Life Breast Cancer Foundation and to the
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
On Sept. 28, the choir will kick off breast-
cancer awareness month in October at El
Pedregal's annual Fall Wine and Jazz Festival
at the Boulders Resort in Carefree.
Merchants at the Promenade at Fulton Ranch
and the Fulton Ranch Towne Center in
Chandler are sponsoring the sale of pink
ribbons wrapped around a musical note for
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$1. The profit from these "notes for the
cause" will be donated to Sing for Life.
For more information, visit www.
sing4lifebreastcancer.org or www.
fultonranchshopping.com.
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