How Turning to Music Helps During Health Struggles
- The Righteous Brothers’ singer Bill Medley battled throat cancer and lost his wife after her five-year battle with Parkinson’s disease during the Covid-19 pandemic. Amid his struggles, Medley admits returning to stage to perform was his “medicine” amid adversity.
- The 83-year-old singer’ wife Paula passed away on June 8, 2020. Prior to her death, Medley underwent throat surgery, which didn’t affect his vocal chords, to remove the cancer in May 2020. And in 2003, Medley lost his singing partner Bucky Heard to heart failure.
- Throat cancer is a type of head and neck cancer where cancerous cells begin in the throat, voice box or tonsils. Some of the main risk factors for this disease include smoking, drinking alcohol, a diet lacking in fruits or vegetables, acid reflux disease and the human papillomavirus (HPV).
- Creating and listening to music, or engaging in any other form of art or creation, can be a powerful tool when coping with cancer or other health struggles. Research has shown that just listening to music can reduce anxiety and produce other positive effects on mental health.
- Overcoming adversity can seem daunting but having a plan can make it feel achievable. It’s important to remember that setting goals and breaking them into smaller steps is key. When going through a difficult time try setting a goal, making a plan, relying on others, and using positive self-talk.
He also lost his fellow singer Bobby Hartfield to heart failure in 2003. Medley and Hartfield were famous for their many popular songs, including “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” and “Unchained Melody.”
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At the time of the interview, Medley was set to perform at at Fantasy Springs Resort & Casino in Indio in February 2022 with his musician Bucky Heard, his new Righteous Brother partner, who he teamed up with in 2003.
The pandemic marked the first time Medley’s performances came to a halt for the first time in 55 years, a time when the singer entertained via livestream from his home.
Medley, who still performs at 83 and is looking forward to semi-retirement, recounted in another interview, according to OurQuadCities, how his last Righteous Brothers concert before the worldwide shutdown was on March 10, 2020, in Las Vegas, a time when Medley suspected something wasn’t normal with his throat and voice.
He explained, “Then I went to my doctor and they took a biopsy, and said no, it’s cancerous and so they cut it off,” later admitting, “It’s been a really crappy two years. I just absolutely got my ass kicked. But that’s why I’m so thrilled that we’re back.”
As for the iconic songs he always sings, he said, “It’s really about the audience. If they react real good, well, it feels like you’re doing it for the first time.”
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Medley and Heard have continued to awe audiences across the country since the world returned to normal, but earlier this year, Medley did admit he’s looking forward to having more free time. However, he insists music will always be a part of his life.
Speaking to the Desert Sun this past January, Medley revealed he plans to “stay artistically busy” when he’s not on tour.
He told the news outlet, “The traveling has beaten everybody up. I always say, ‘You’re paying me to travel, not do a show.’ It’s great performing in towns where people want to hear these songs, and it’s been a real blessing to do that, but the traveling will stop.”
Expert Resources On Overcoming Adversity
How Turning to Music Can Help Cancer Patients
Creating and listening to music can be a powerful tool. Most people have felt the positive effects of a musical experience, but fewer people know there is actually science to back it up.
“Just listening to music activates more brain regions simultaneously than any other human activity,” Dr. Alexander Pantelyat, a neurologist at Johns Hopkins, previously told SurvivorNet.
Bill Medley’s reliance on performing to help him through the ups and downs of his battle with cancer and the loss of his wife, and her battle with Parkinson’s disease, is certainly inspiring, as many people may seek art when coping through adversity.
A recent study published in the journal Parkinson’s Disease researched the effects music had on the brain. It found music can help reduce anxiety for patients. Dr. Serap Bastepe-Gray, who co-founded the Johns Hopkins Center for Music and Medicine with Dr. Pantelyat, led the study.
“The guitar, which is portable, affordable, and one of the most popular instruments in the U.S., has potential as a motivational therapeutic tool both in the clinical and community settings,” Dr. Bastepe-Gray said.
Music therapy is a resource cancer patients turn to during treatment. Music therapy includes “creating, singing, moving, listening and/or relaxing” to the sounds of your favorite songs according to the National Cancer Institute.
This form of therapy can help relieve depression, stress, anxiety, and pain.
Pancreatic cancer survivor Joel Naftelberg can also attest to the power of music, as he found the support he needed from his music family.
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“The people that were my heroes in entertainment and rock and roll have been my friends and have been some of the most supportive people that I’ve had in my life,” he told SurvivorNet.
Naftelberg describes his cancer as a “monster.” It’s “attacked every facet of [his] life,” but that doesn’t mean he’s let it get the best of him. Music has been his saving grace.
“I have found music and rock and roll to be transformational,” he said. “Doesn’t necessarily solve anything, but it does let us dance on our problems for at least an hour or two. Nothing better on a Friday afternoon than to hang with your friends and listen to beautiful music.”
Focusing on something you love is an important way to build resilience in the face of coping with cancer and chronic disease, psychiatrist Dr. Samantha Boardman previously told SurvivorNet. She explained what she calls the “three wellsprings of vitality,” which are connecting with others, contributing to the lives of others, and challenging yourself to continue growing.
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“Those are the cores of vitality, and the core pathways to enhance your everyday resilience,” Dr. Boardman said.
The Power of Music
Art therapy such as music, painting, and dancing can really lift up spirits during treatment. It’s not uncommon for those battling cancer to experience emotions such as anger, confusion, and sadness. So, the opportunity to express these emotions through artistic outlets can be extremely helpful music is one of those outlets. This was certainly the case for Bill Medley, and has been the case for other cancer survivors.
Two-time cancer survivor, Bianca Muniz, turned to music as an outlet during her experience with cancer. Her cancer journey began at just 11 years old when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Then, at 22 years old, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Bianca says that undergoing numerous different treatments did have an impact on her voice, but she never let that get in the way of her love of performing, and cancer actually served as a muse for creating new music.
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“This experience has had two different effects on my creativity and my music, so I’ve gotten a lot of inspiration from it,” Bianca told SurvivorNet in a previous interview.
“But also the side effects of treatment, of chemo, and surgery have definitely had a little bit of a negative effect on my voice. Then again, I love performing. I always feel happy after I’ve performed.”
Understanding Throat Cancer
Throat cancer is a type of head and neck cancer where cancerous cells begin in the throat, voice box or tonsils. Some of the main risk factors for this disease include smoking, drinking alcohol, a diet lacking in fruits or vegetables, acid reflux disease and the human papillomavirus (HPV).
So, one way to decrease the chances of developing the disease is to get the HPV vaccine.
The American Cancer Society recommends that boys and girls get the HPV vaccine between ages 9 and 12. The organization also stresses that teens and young adults through age 26 who are not already vaccinated should get the HPV vaccine as soon as possible.
According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, “About 85% of people will get an HPV infection in their lifetime. Vaccinating all 11–12-year-olds can protect them long before they are ever exposed. CDC recommends two doses of HPV vaccine for all adolescents at age 11 or 12 years.”
Dr. Jessica Geiger, a medical oncologist at Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center, explains the link between throat cancer and HPV in a previous interview with SurvivorNet.
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“There are no screening guidelines to screen for throat cancer, unlike cervical cancer with pap smears. And there are no standard tests to determine if you harbor the (HPV) virus,” Dr. Geiger said.
“However, there is no concern that you’re going to spread this cancer to your partner or to anyone else, because at this point your partner has already been exposed to the virus and likely cleared it.”
There’s no yearly screening for throat cancer, so doctors often discover the disease when a patient sees them with symptoms that may point to it. Some symptoms include:
- A cough
- Changes in your voice
- Difficulty swallowing
- Ear pain
- A lump or sore that doesn’t heal
- A sore throat
- Weight loss
It’s important to note, however, that these symptoms are not exclusive to throat cancer. Still, you should always see a doctor if you have any changes to your health.
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Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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