Healing Harps
A Heartwarming Story about Kerry

My daughter, Kerry Sandford, 17 years old, is a member of the Alliance, and I thought you might be interested to know what she is doing this month.

Before Kerry became ill at age 13, she had been an Irish stepdancer for seven years, reaching the pre-championship level of competition. Kerry would have been first chair in flute in the Middle School Band in 8th grade that year. But the illness prohibited her continuing her love of music, primarily because she developed severe hyperacusis (sound sensitivity) accompanied by one single headache she has had since September 1, 1995. She has been unable to attend school since then, or live the life of a normal teen.

Her love of music combined with the opportunity to meet two people, however.  Ron Price, Ph.D., is founder of an organization called Healing Harps. Ron inspired Kerry, rented her a harp, invited her to a "monster harp day" (these are incredible occasions when a group of harpists of various abilities, from beginning to professional, and some severely disabled, join for a day of learning and socialization). Kerry was hooked.

Although Healing Harps' main goal is for members to produce excellent music, they encourage whatever secondary benefits may occur, including physical, mental, social,  etc. Many members are ill or handicapped, many aren't. Members play in hospitals, nursing homes, hospices, or wherever their special abilities are needed.

Ron asked Kerry last June to speak to a workshop of new healing harp therapists on living with a chronic illness, and the impact of loss of music in your life. At the workshop, Kerry met Katie Lyon, a Northwestern University student, who will next year be the first ever student in the new Harp Therapy program at Northern Illinois University, under the auspices of Ron. Katie became Kerry's teacher, but more than that - a friend, an inspiration, a hope.

Katie has learned the extent of a chronic illness through Kerry. The original plan had been for me to bring Kerry to Katie once a week for a lesson, about an hour's drive each way. But it didn't take long for us to realize that Kerry couldn't handle the car trip, so Katie, God bless her, now drives to our home.

There are days when Kerry is too ill for Katie to come, so Katie had to learn flexibility. With her regular harp students, Katie demands regular practice - she cannot do that with Kerry since the hyperacusis, headache, or arthritis in her hands often prohibits harp playing. She has seen the determination of a child in pain, the heartbreak of the family. Fortunately, Kerry has an innate ability for music, and that keeps them both going, along with an endless sense of humor and determination!

On March 11, Katie and Kerry are flying to Richmond, VA, together to do a presentation at the first ever Healing Harps Symposium! They will be speaking about Lyme Disease, about its impact on Kerry's life, and the impact of any chronic illness in a life. Then they will talk about what it has been like for Kerry to have music reintroduced into her life, and what it is like for Katie to work with someone so affected. Musicians, educators, and medical professionals will be at this Symposium, and it is an interesting way for the story of Lyme Disease to be told.

There have been many wonderful people who have touched our lives since Kerry became ill, and among them, most assuredly, are Katie and Ron. I'm proud of them, and I'm especially proud of my daughter.

Epilogue: In her reply giving us permission to share Kerry's story with you, Kerry's mom, Candy, said, "It's really a neat March kind of story with her name and the Irish step dancing and the harp being the national symbol of Ireland. By the way, she was born on St. Patrick's Day (the day she turns 17), and when they asked my husband, Steve, if he was going to name her after St. Patrick's Day,(meaning Patricia), he responded that calling her Saint would be presumptuous! So, she is nicknamed after County Kerry!"

For more information on Lyme disease see: Lots Of Links On Lyme Disease

Last updated on 29 December 2000 by
Art Doherty
Lompoc, California
doherty@utech.net

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