LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Louisville opera singer was recently diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. It took away her ability to sing for large crowds, but she's still finding a way to show off her talents while she gets chemotherapy.
Gillian Hollis has always loved to sing. For the past 15 years, she's made a career out of it.
"It's who I am," Hollis said.
In April 2024, Hollis was touring with an opera company when she started to have trouble singing and breathing throughout the show. She went to her doctor, who found a large tumor on her lung.
"I honestly thought I might never sing again," Hollis said. "Truth be told, I still don't know if my career will recover."
She was diagnosed her with Hodgkin's lymphoma. In May, she started chemotherapy at Norton Women's and Children's Hospital.
"The diagnosis was a relief, by that time," Hollis said. "I had been sicker than I knew for longer than I knew.
That's where she met board-certified music therapist Kennedy McCollam. Immediately, the two women were in perfect harmony.
"We have a lot of fun," McCollam said. "It's not every day that one of your patients is as musically inclined and brilliant as Gillian is, so it's seriously a privilege to get to work with her."
Treatment can take several hours in a cold and sterile hospital room, so the duo passes the time by filling Hollis' suite with laughter and beautiful music.
"We'll sing everything from Paul Simon to Chappell Roan, and Celine Dion," Hollis said. "Whatever we want."
Hollis' voice wasn't the strongest when they met. However, a few weeks into chemotherapy, she started to feel better.
"It was about halfway through the treatment when I started to be able to take the big breaths that opera singers need to take without coughing," Hollis said. "I can finally expand again."
Her singing then became louder. Now, you can hear them from the hospital hallway. Many patients and nurses stop by to listen.
Gillian Hollis is an opera singer in Louisville, Ky.
"We'll be like 'Do you have any requests?'" McCollum said excitedly. "We take requests!"
Hollis' final treatment appointment is set for October 14.
"It's bittersweet," she said. "Yay! No more chemo! But also no more Kennedy? Oh no."
While she may not be able to perform on the big stage again, she said she will never stop singing.
The duo plans to keep in touch outside of the hospital, so they can keep making music together.
"The music really ended up being kind of the cornerstone of my recovery," Hollis said.
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