 |
Music to this survivor's ears
She beat throat cancer, now she'll sing at Fenway
After she was told she had three months to live, Denise DeSimone , 51, survived on baby food, Lipton soup, and meditation.
Diagnosed with throat cancer two years ago, she had tumors in her lymph nodes and the back of her tongue that left her nearly voiceless and struggling to gulp down an ounce of water.
After chemotherapy, radiation, and an operation to remove part of her neck last year, she turned to alternative therapies, including sweating in a 140 degree sauna as she tried to rid herself of cancer.
Now the cancer is gone , DeSimone said, and tomorrow she will fulfill a lifelong dream when she belts out the National
"I kind of died and came back to my life," she said in a telephone interview from her Amesbury residence yesterday.
DeSimone has tried to inspire others with her story, speaking publicly about her experience and writing a book. She said she believes the pain she endured served a higher purpose -- to help others overcome illness.
"If I had to do it all over again, I'd go through every minute of it," said DeSimone. "I know this whole cancer thing was a real blessing."
When the first lump appeared on DeSimone's neck, her doctor told her it was a swollen gland that would go away.
The following month, after the pain and the tiredness persisted, she was diagnosed with stage IV throat cancer.
The ensuing radiation left her nearly voiceless for nine months. "I sounded like Elmer Fudd," she said.
An amateur singer since childhood, DeSimone had recorded some original songs the year before her diagnosis . To raise money for the alternative healing she sought, she sold copies of the compact disc.
"I had never realized how often I had sung in my head," she said, "and then suddenly I couldn't sing anymore."
Deleta McMullin , 67, watched as her youngest sister choked on water and could barely speak.
"She just had unbelievable strength," she said.
"The amount of love and good will and good cheer that came her way constantly was remarkable."
Her months of silence behind her, DeSimone practices regularly for her debut at Fenway. Her new singing voice is deeper, she said, but her trademark wide range survived.
"People say I sound better than I ever have," she said. "It's not the tone," she added.
"It's the emotion behind it."
Javier C. Hernandez can be reached at jhernandez@globe.com. 
© Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.
