- Despite having a clear mammogram the previous year, when Twila noticed white discharge from her right breast, she booked in to see her GP
- One week later, Twila was diagnosed with a precancerous tumour in her breast
- Hoping to help other women, Twila founded the Soul Sisters choir in Hervey Bay, bringing together women affected by breast cancer
Here Twila Whittingham, 71, from Jervis Bay, NSW, tells her story in her own words
‘You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one,’ I softly sang to myself, soothed by John Lennon’s song ‘Imagine’ while making a cuppa.
It was May 2022, and after noticing a strange white discharge from my right breast, I’d turned to music – something I did whenever I needed a lift to stay positive.
‘Could it be breastmilk?’ I wondered.
But aged 68, I knew my childbearing days were long gone.
I’d had a mammogram a year before, in February 2021, and my results had come back clear.
Heartbreakingly, I’d lost my beautiful mum, Ellen, aged 73, in 2005 to cervical cancer, my hubby Graham, at 69, to a sudden heart attack in 2012, and our son, Mark, aged just 42, in 2018 to leukaemia.
A grandmother to six gorgeous grandies, I knew I couldn’t take any chances with my health.
So the next day, I booked in with my GP to get some answers.
The doctor took a sample of the discharge and sent me for another mammogram.
When the results came back clear, I had a biopsy to rule out anything sinister.
Back at the GP a week later, the explanation behind my leaky breast was revealed.
READ MORE: ‘I Drive A Booby Bus’
‘We found a precancerous tumour,’ she explained.
I was referred to an oncologist, who told me I’d need to undergo a procedure to have the mass removed.
Covid restrictions meant I’d be facing surgery alone, with my kids Dominic, then 37, and Titian, 40, living outside the area.
A week later I returned to Hervey Bay Hospital to have the tumour removed.
Thankfully, the surgeons got it all, and I was declared to be in remission.
Still, I’d need to return to hospital every three months for regular testing to make sure it didn’t return.
Back at home and in recovery, I healed my spirit with daily meditation and song.
Closing my eyes, I focused on tuning out the world around me.
One morning while I was meditating soon after my surgery, I felt inspired.
As a singing teacher for 37 years, I knew in my heart that music was medicine.
What if I started a choir for women touched by breast cancer? I thought.
It would be like music therapy for us all.
READ MORE: ‘Breast cancer survivors support group’
So I decided to start a boob choir, which I lovingly called Soul Sisters.
Contacting my breast cancer nurse and telling her my idea, she spread the word among our local survivor community in Hervey Bay, Qld.
I was ecstatic when 32 women arrived at the Lutheran Church for the first rehearsal that October.
They were from every walk of life, some newly diagnosed, others undergoing chemo or in remission, and some sadly terminal.
All were looking to lift their spirits and find support through sisterhood.
While many had never sung in a choir, they were ready to step out of their comfort zone and give music therapy a go.
Rehearsing once a week, we focused on uplifting songs from artists such as ABBA and Leonard Cohen, and Christmas carols, while providing support as each member navigated their treatment, recovery and setbacks.
And while we came together for the music, we stayed for the friendship.
‘Music is so good for your soul,’ I told the women, who all agreed.
‘Once I get here, the pain disappears… you just feel the love,’ Margie, who was undergoing chemo told the group.
‘When I was diagnosed, I asked God to bring something to help me through. Then along came the choir,’ newly diagnosed member Gayle added.
READ MORE: ‘Breast cancer survivor: I’m running marathons topless!’
After practising for six weeks, we were ready to share our music with the world and performed at a local cafe.
As we belted out the lyrics to ‘What a wonderful world’ – famously sung by Louis Armstrong – I watched as smiles spread across the faces of all the cafe patrons.
Not only were we raising awareness about a deadly disease – which on average 58 people in Australia are diagnosed with every day – but we were spreading joy too.
Hoping to share the love even further, we volunteered our singing voices at local retirement homes and hospital wards.
Carolling as we marched down the hallways, I couldn’t help but smile as the patients, including those battling
cancer, cheerily waved at us.
For many it was a welcome distraction from the monotonous beeping of machines around them.
Three years on, I’ve now moved to live in Jervis Bay, NSW, with my three poodle pups, Alfie, Arlo and Gracie, to be closer to family.
Relocating meant handing over the reigns of my beloved boob choir to another trusted member, to keep spreading the love and music without me.
I still keep in touch with my singing sisters, and now celebrate their joy from afar!
But I don’t have plans to stop singing any time soon. I’m already in contact with my local network of breast cancer survivors to begin another wonderful boob choir here in my new home town.
Every voice deserves to be heard!
