“Leeds-based charity The Swan Song Project has recently been awarded a ‘Shine a Light’ award for going above and beyond to support bereaved people across the country.
When Sharna Matthews found out her lung cancer was terminal, she turned to music to process her feelings.
Mrs Matthews, who performs covers with her husband Jim at small venues in West Yorkshire, said recording her own funeral song had helped her to “deal with the hurt” of leaving loved ones behind.
Her song Think Of Me Again was produced by professional musicians at Leeds-based charity The Swan Song Project, which creates musical legacies for people nearing the end of their lives.
Mrs Matthews, 47, said her diagnosis was a “smack in the face” but that creating her swan song had helped her to “make sense of it all”.”
Read the full feature by Nicola Rees on the BBC Website here.
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