Singer/songwriter Denise Culhane knows all too well the trials and tribulations of being a struggling artist having survived a bout with thyroid cancer that led to the loss of her voice and the possibility that she would never sing again.
Singer/songwriter Denise Culhane knows all too well the trials and
tribulations of being a struggling artist having survived a bout with
thyroid cancer that led to the loss of her voice and the possibility
that she would never sing again.
Prior to being diagnosed with thyroid cancer, Culhane started performing her music as part of a duo she formed with one of her friends in 1997. The two musicians played clubs, bars and cafes in the area for about five years before Culhane decided to put her career on hold in 2002 to spend more time with her daughter who had been born the previous year.
"It got to be too much so I decided to take some time off," she said.
After giving birth to her second child in 2004, Culhane was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in early 2006. The result was that she had to have surgery in order to have her thyroid removed. One of the side effects of the surgery was damage to vocal chords, which was prevalent in only about two percent of those having the surgery.
"While there was only a small chance of me actually having damage done to my vocal chords from the surgery, I did do damage to my right vocal chord, which resulted in me barely being able to talk and not being able to sing at all - it sounded like I had laryngitis," she said.
Culhane said at that point singing was the farthest thing from her mind, but just the idea of never being able to play again inspired her to want to perform again.
"I told myself if and when I get my voice back I am going to get back into singing," she said. "When something is taken away from you, you seem to want it so much more."
While the side effect of the surgery was only supposed to last about three months, after six months Culhane's voice still sounded the same and she started to become discouraged.
"I started thinking if this is how my voice is going to be, I am never going to sing again," she said.
Discouraged and starting to lose hope in the possibility of ever regaining her voice, Culhane decided to visit an ear, nose and throat specialist to see if there was anything he could do to help. He told her that the right vocal chord was partially paralyzed but there was some movement.
"He was hopeful but I wasn't," she said.
Two months later when she returned to visit the doctor, Culhane started to see big changes in her voice to a point where she could actually talk again, but singing was still difficult.
"I had to take a lot of breaths in between because air was being forced out too fast," she said.
Finally after 10 months of never knowing if she would ever sing again, Culhane had received about 98 percent of her voice back in March of 2007 and had gained the confidence to start performing again.
"By then it was pretty much back to where it was before the surgery, so I decided to start practicing to get it stronger and I also started performing again," she said.
Close to two years later, Culhane has continued to perform since getting her voice back. She credits much of her come back to the love and support of her friends, family and fans who have shown her strong support at her live performances.
"My voice wasn't as strong as it was before so there were a lot of things I couldn't do when I first started getting it back that I can do now," she said.
Now that Culhane has gotten the ability to sing again and her kids are a little older, she is focusing on writing her second album and playing more around the area. On Thursday, Feb. 12, she will perform at Gaffney's in Saratoga Springs as part of the venue's "Singer/ Songwriter Series" that is held each Thursday and features both local and regional artists.
This will be Culhane's third time performing in the showcase, which she said she enjoys because it gives her a chance to perform her own songs.
"It is really fun because I get to perform my own songs, there is no pressure, really great crowds and it is a great venue for music," she said.
To learn more about Culhane and her music, visit www.myspace.com/deniseculhane.
Prior to being diagnosed with thyroid cancer, Culhane started performing her music as part of a duo she formed with one of her friends in 1997. The two musicians played clubs, bars and cafes in the area for about five years before Culhane decided to put her career on hold in 2002 to spend more time with her daughter who had been born the previous year.
"It got to be too much so I decided to take some time off," she said.
After giving birth to her second child in 2004, Culhane was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in early 2006. The result was that she had to have surgery in order to have her thyroid removed. One of the side effects of the surgery was damage to vocal chords, which was prevalent in only about two percent of those having the surgery.
"While there was only a small chance of me actually having damage done to my vocal chords from the surgery, I did do damage to my right vocal chord, which resulted in me barely being able to talk and not being able to sing at all - it sounded like I had laryngitis," she said.
Culhane said at that point singing was the farthest thing from her mind, but just the idea of never being able to play again inspired her to want to perform again.
"I told myself if and when I get my voice back I am going to get back into singing," she said. "When something is taken away from you, you seem to want it so much more."
While the side effect of the surgery was only supposed to last about three months, after six months Culhane's voice still sounded the same and she started to become discouraged.
"I started thinking if this is how my voice is going to be, I am never going to sing again," she said.
Discouraged and starting to lose hope in the possibility of ever regaining her voice, Culhane decided to visit an ear, nose and throat specialist to see if there was anything he could do to help. He told her that the right vocal chord was partially paralyzed but there was some movement.
"He was hopeful but I wasn't," she said.
Two months later when she returned to visit the doctor, Culhane started to see big changes in her voice to a point where she could actually talk again, but singing was still difficult.
"I had to take a lot of breaths in between because air was being forced out too fast," she said.
Finally after 10 months of never knowing if she would ever sing again, Culhane had received about 98 percent of her voice back in March of 2007 and had gained the confidence to start performing again.
"By then it was pretty much back to where it was before the surgery, so I decided to start practicing to get it stronger and I also started performing again," she said.
Close to two years later, Culhane has continued to perform since getting her voice back. She credits much of her come back to the love and support of her friends, family and fans who have shown her strong support at her live performances.
"My voice wasn't as strong as it was before so there were a lot of things I couldn't do when I first started getting it back that I can do now," she said.
Now that Culhane has gotten the ability to sing again and her kids are a little older, she is focusing on writing her second album and playing more around the area. On Thursday, Feb. 12, she will perform at Gaffney's in Saratoga Springs as part of the venue's "Singer/ Songwriter Series" that is held each Thursday and features both local and regional artists.
This will be Culhane's third time performing in the showcase, which she said she enjoys because it gives her a chance to perform her own songs.
"It is really fun because I get to perform my own songs, there is no pressure, really great crowds and it is a great venue for music," she said.
To learn more about Culhane and her music, visit www.myspace.com/deniseculhane.
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