A HOSPITAL patient helped to cheer up nurses during a hospital stay when she began singing uplifting songs.
Susan Beasley, 67, is a member of the We Can Survive Singers – a choir formed of cancer patients and survivors – whose members meet weekly to sing and raise their spirits.
Due to the pandemic, the group has been unable to meet but has begun running sessions on Zoom to help the members to stay in contact.
When Susan was in hospital last week, she joined a practice online to help cheer her up, but she inadvertently cheered up the nurses who were on shift at the time.
“I was in a room by myself and I was feeling a bit down,” said Susan of Towngate, Silkstone. “I joined the choir Zoom call and was just intending to sit and listen but I found myself having a sing song and having a good time.
“I didn’t realise that other people could hear me, if I had known I would never have sung, but some of the nurses said they really enjoyed my singing and that it helped to cheer them up.”
Since leaving hospital, Susan has turned her hand to making face masks out of scrap material she had around her home.
“I tried to order some masks but I couldn’t get any so I started making me own, since then lots of people have asked me for a mask which I have been making for friends and family.”
Founder of the choir, Cheryl Roberts, said: “Sue is an absolutely amazing lady and an inspiration to us all. It’s lovely that the choir which was created to help cancer patients and survivors can help cheer up medical staff as well.”
As well as the weekly choir meetings, Cheryl has moved her coffee club meetings online thanks to funding from Macmillan Cancer Support. The funding allows each club to have hour-long meetings on Zoom which incurs a cost.
“We are so grateful for the money,” added Cheryl. “It means that everyone can see each other, especially since we are all in the ‘at-risk’ category. It means we can all have a slice of normalcy when we can’t leave our homes.”
