For Ana Garcia Doyle, a longtime Oak Parker and climate activist, being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023 came as “a complete surprise,” based on how seriously she says she centered her life around health, fitness and following a vegetarian diet.
Though her type of breast cancer was not caused by a genetic component, Garcia Doyle says her diagnosis was eye-opening into how cancer can truly happen to anyone, at any time.
Finding ways to heal and to connect with others on the same hard road, Garcia Doyle joined Voices of Hope, a citywide choir with strong Oak Park and River Forest roots. The choir, which will perform this Sunday at Pilgrim Congregational Church, includes those who are dealing with the disease itself, those who are giving care and people who have been impacted by breast cancer less directly.
The 60-member choir performs each fall and spring and features men and women with a variety of musical skills and performance experience. Voices of Hope’s music covers the gamut from showtunes and spirituals to pop/rock and jazz.
Founded in August 2023, Voices of Hope is a non-auditioned choir which includes from across the city and suburbs — many of whom hail from Oak Park and River Forest — and is financially supported by a mix of membership dues, concert proceeds and grants from the Illinois Arts Council.
Annette Martin, of River Forest, is a member of Voices of Hope who was on the steering committee which founded the organization.
Though Martin herself is not a breast cancer survivor, her connection to the disease comes from a strong family history; Martin’s mother, aunt, grandmother and two cousins all faced breast cancer diagnoses.
“Breast cancer has impacted my life, and being part of Voices of Hope has meant the world to me,” said Martin. “I love to sing and the group is joyous — Voices of Hope is very close-knit and we really are a family.”
Garcia Doyle sees those same benefits in being part of the choir.
“We’re a very caring group — when something is happening to someone, whether it’s undergoing a diagnosis, a surgery or a death in the family, we’re all there to rally behind the person, and I love that,” she said.
To her, Voices of Hope has been a meaningful example of catharsis through music and sharing life experiences with strangers turned friends.
“This is a unique healing support — it’s productive and positive, and we’re making shared art together,” she said. “Having been singing my whole life, I would say that there is science around the healing power of music and science around the healing power of singing with others — lowering cortisol and increasing dopamine. There is no substitute for the healing power of music.”
Garcia Doyle says that while not all members of Voices of Hope may have faced breast cancer, the unique opportunity for people to understand what breast cancer is all about helps all singers understand the struggles, losses and the overall fight of working to survive breast cancer.
“I know people’s stories now,” she said. “We’re all shoulder-to-shoulder looking outward but centered on the root of how each of our lives have been affected by breast cancer, and it’s super supportive. Safe spaces like this are important — it can be difficult for people to be vulnerable, but we need to have spaces where we can be in conversation about cancer and how it’s touched us deeply.”
With the continued mission of bringing people together to create beautiful music, Martin says Voices of Hope’s goals are two-fold; bridging cancer affliction with camaraderie and finding ways to financially help breast cancer causes.
In concert this Sunday
Voices of Hope’s fall Oak Park concert will be held this Sunday, Nov. 16 at 4 p.m. at Pilgrim Congregational Church, 460 Lake St. Tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for seniors, children under 17 and breast cancer survivors, and can be purchased online at voicesofhopecc.org. Tickets can also be purchased at the door for $30 for adults, seniors and children and $25 for survivors.