Next month, former hairdresser Miriam Payne will walk 120km of the camino in Portugal alongside 12 of her fellow Sea of Change choir members. It’s “a challenge” the mother of three will take on with “half a lung”, following a diagnosis of lung cancer in 2016.
Payne is not the only woman in her choir to have had a cancer diagnosis. The singing group is made up of cancer survivors and supporters, who have come together to share their love of singing and music.
Formed in 2018, the group have performed at venues across the country, at Electric Picnic last year and have also enjoyed success on Ireland’s Got Talent and Britain’s Got Talent.
On the latest episode of The Irish Times Women’s Podcast, the Dublin woman explains how the cancer in her lung was found “purely by accident,” after she presented at hospital for a separate illness. “I had no cough, I had no wheeze, nothing,” she tells podcast presenter Róisín Ingle.
Following surgery to remove the cancer, which returned again five years later, Payne says she is “now down to half a lung,” which has made her all the more determined to complete the camino walk next month. “So yeah, I’m kind of taking it on to prove that you don’t need all your bits,” she laughs.
In this episode, we also hear from Terry Kinane, a cancer supporter who sings alongside Payne in the Dublin-based choir. Kinane, who has walked many camino routes over the past decade, will be leading this group of women as they set off on the 5th May.
So what has drawn Kinane back to the camino time and time again? “I love the simplicity of it and getting away from it all… the peace, the camaraderie,” she says.
“You get a lot of time to think, especially the ones I’ve done on my own. You spend a lot of time thinking and just being,” Kinane adds.
The group leader believes the pilgrimage also presents a great opportunity to meet others “who are like minded and have the same values… people that you can really get along with”.
You can listen back to this episode in the player above or search The Women’s Podcast on your usual podcast app.
