Gospel artist Sarah Téibo was told by medics she may never sing again after being diagnosed with thyroid cancer. The mother of two underwent urgent surgery to remove a cancerous tumour and struggled to process what this might mean for her profession. Although devastated by this news, Sarah remained faithful that God would guide her through this difficult journey towards recovery.
Christian Today spoke with Sarah to listen to more about how her faith carried her through this difficult time and the way it has shaped her music and her relationship with God.
Tell us about your journey through making gospel music up until your cancer diagnosis.
I began recording music in 2015 with the discharge of my first single ‘Steal my joy’. Prior to this, I had been very lively for a few years in my church choir as a worship leader – that is something I still do today and it might be where I find essentially the most joy and sense of purpose. This debut single was followed by three studio albums – ‘Walk with me’, ‘Keep walking’ and ‘Restored’ released from 2016 to 2021.
My team and I had decided it was time to start out working on the following project, so we had planned a songwriting session for May 2023 however the month before, I got the devastating news that I had a cancerous tumour on my thyroid. The foremost symptom was a swelling on my neck, and though I used to be not in pain, initial scans by my GP caused some alarm, which prompted further tests with specialists. Following this, it was confirmed that there was a tumour on my thyroid which was cancerous and needed to be removed.
What went through your mind if you received the diagnosis?
It felt like I’d just been punched within the throat once I was delivered the diagnosis, accompanied by my husband. I’m sure my heart sank to the ground of that hospital consultation room. I attempted to maintain a brave face within the consultation room because the doctor and Macmillan nurse talked me through what to anticipate next and the risks that got here with the procedure, but I couldn’t keep it together once I got home and immediately broke down in tears. It was just an excessive amount of for me to process or accept.
Being a really private person, my first instinct once I received the diagnosis was to only process it inside my very own space. And I did this for several months before finally making a public statement about what I had been going through – particularly the aftermath of the surgery. One reason I finally decided to share my story publicly was in order that it might hopefully encourage anyone who is perhaps going through the same experience
How did your faith carry you thru that point?
My faith played an enormous part in processing this phase of my life alongside my family. Though I struggled with the diagnosis and initially even rejected it, I remember going to God and just asking Him ‘why?!’ I used to be broken, in despair and really open with my heavenly Father. It was on this place of vulnerability that God comforted and told me that if I never had a sickness, I might never know Him to be my healer. Sometimes as Christians, we wish to undergo life with none challenges, however it is thru challenges that we put our faith to the test, and prove that God is really who He says He is.
As I continued to navigate what this might mean for my future as a singer, I took a step of religion and attended the songwriting sessions we had booked for May 2023. This was just inside three weeks of major surgery and I went in with dressing from surgery still on my neck. I could barely produce coherent sounds. I do not know the way I got through it, but in some way I did!
This was undoubtedly essentially the most anxious I’d been at any point in my life. The considered possibly never having the ability to sing with my signature power and pitch was quite terrifying, but my faith played an enormous part in keeping me positive in regards to the future.
What was the recovery process like?
The recovery process was initially quite painful as I progressively recovered from the surgery. In the primary few weeks after surgery, I discovered eating, speaking and singing terribly difficult, and I needed to provide my body time and space to heal. I needed to decelerate – something I often find quite hard to do! The months that followed were less painful, and I used to be in a position to begin my journey to recovery, starting with vocal therapy sessions
Why was it essential so that you can release your single ‘All Clear’, which was born out of this turbulent journey?
My hope is that by sharing my testimony of navigating fear, faith, vulnerability and healing using songs from the project, I might have the ability to encourage and encourage individuals who could also be going through a difficult season of their lives. The song ‘All Clear’, which is the very first track on my newly released EP, ‘Human Like Me’, starts off with 4 words – ‘it’s gonna be okay.’ More people have to hear this.
How has your relationship together with your voice modified?
Through this whole experience, my biggest fear was the potential for losing my voice. This is something that was identified to me before I even went into surgery. It turned out that after surgery, I did have mild vocal paresis which meant a part of my vocal cord was mildly paralysed, leading to the necessity for me to have vocal rehab to regain the strength in my vocal cords and essentially learn to sing again. Following the completion of my vocal therapy, I even have a renewed appreciation for my voice and have learned so many latest techniques which have actually made me a good higher singer than I used to be.
What is your outlook on life and relationship with God like now as a cancer survivor?
It was an awesome relief to get the ‘all clear’ after surgery! I genuinely feel privileged that my story didn’t end another way. I now have a latest outlook on life on the whole and my latest motto is ‘seize every moment’. This means today, I might moderately enjoy an experience (like at a concert), than take videos or photos. I just immerse myself into every likelihood I get at life. This experience also jogged my memory of how gracious and truly merciful God is. Even in moments once we appear to lose our faith, He stays faithful.
‘Human Like Me’ Sarah’s fourth studio album is now available to stream and download from all music platforms.
