Music is good for the soul for Frank

Frank from Gosforth is 84 years old and has been receiving support from St Oswald’s Bereavement Support team since his wife died in May this year. After his loss, Frank struggled to cope and came to his local hospice to seek advice.

Frank said:

“When I lost my wife, I didn’t know what to do. I came in to the Hospice hoping someone might be able to help me and spoke to the lovely lady on reception who pointed me in Sarah’s direction. Sarah is a Bereavement Support Worker and over the last two or three months, we’ve been chatting over the phone and I have found our calls really helpful. One week, we were talking about things that made us happy, and that’s when I told her I loved to sing.

“I sang to Sarah down the phone and then every week I’d sing her a song. I loved doing it and it made me feel so good. Sarah then told me about Hannah, a Music Therapist who works at St Oswald’s, and that she might be able to help me cope with my loss through music. We were put in touch and now Hannah and I meet up, although I still sing a song to Sarah every week too!

“I love singing. Frank Sinatra is my favourite, his music is so meaningful, the lyrics flow so well, and you can relate to his songs. I get quite emotional when I sing, especially when I sang at my granddaughter’s wedding. My wife used to love to hear me sing, but I think she might’ve got a bit tired of hearing Frank Sinatra for 16 years. They don’t make music like that anymore! 

 “Hannah and I have decided to make a CD to sell in support of the Hospice. I’ve picked six of my favourite songs that make me feel happy and we are going to record them with Hannah’s help. Hopefully I can sell a few copies to raise money for the Hospice. It’s the least I could do after they’ve helped me so much this year.”

Sarah Beaumont, Bereavement Support Practitioner at St Oswald’s Hospice said:

“I’ve loved working with Frank, hearing him sing is my highlight of the week. It’s so powerful and you can feel every word he says. I’m glad we’ve been able to help him and I look forward to watching him sing for our Light up a Life service. It will be beautiful and I think a lot of people will be surprised at Frank’s voice.”

You can hear Frank sing and watch Light up a Life at Home from the comfort of your own living room on Sunday 6^th December. Visit www.stoswaldsuk.org/light-up-a-life or watch on our Facebook page.