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Sad Tracey set to give final performance |
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by Lynne McIlroy
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A LOCAL musician is celebrating after being invited to perform at a celebrity-laden extravaganza, after beating the odds to survive a killer disease.
Tracey White (38), was diagnosed with mouth cancer in 2004, a disease that ravaged her vocal chords, putting an end to her career as a singer.
However, after battling through radiotherapy her courage has been rewarded with an invitation to perform at the Mouth Cancer Voice Awards Grand Final on November 18, aimed at raising awareness of the disease.
Of the invite she said: “I feel so honoured to be asked.
“The sad thing is that my voice is deteriorating and will eventually go.
“I’m stopping singing at the end of the year, so this is an opportunity that I will never have again.
“At least if my voice isn’t good, people will know the reason.”
Tracey used to perform at gigs around the Wee County with her band, who played a variety of songs from the 60s and 70s.
But doctors put an end to that, after diagnosing her with one of the most aggressive cases of mouth cancer seen in a person of her age.
Tracey said: “Finding out I had cancer was absolutely
devastating.
“The condition I had was quite rare and never seen before in a female of my age. It’s usually seen in men in their 60s and 70s.
“I had 12 tumours removed from my neck and salivary glands and a tumour through my jaw meant that doctors had to remove a facial nerve.”
The award ceremony is being supported by a number of celebrities, including Julia Bradbury from BBC 1’s ‘Watchdog’, ‘Absolutely Fabulous’ Helen Lederer and former Atomic Kitten band member Natasha Hamilton.
The Founder of the Mouth Cancer Foundation, Dr Vinod Joshi, says: “This is the first Mouth Cancer Voice Awards with an aim to raise awareness of mouth cancer in a drinking and smoking culture.
“The message is not to take your voice for granted.”
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