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Schams, 14, has Hodgkin lymphoma. But Friday — her last day of chemotherapy at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center’s Pediatric-Hematology Oncology Department — she was busy writing her first song.
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Current Miss Wisconsin Briana Lipor (center), Aquinas freshman Bridget Schams (right), 14, and Gundersen Lutheran music therapist Amy Oppriecht visit Friday at the department of Pediatric Hematology Oncology. Schams is currently fighting Hodgkin’s lymphoma. |
“It’s, like, stellar,” the La Crosse teen said.
It’s part of a pilot music therapy program, funded by Children’s Miracle Network, aimed at relaxing patients by decreasing fear and anxiety, said music therapist Amy Oppriecht. She’s been working with Schams, first teaching her to play guitar, then helping her write the song.
The 25-week pilot program, which ended its 11th week Friday, is a wonderful way for patients to stay focused on something other than cancer, Oppriecht said.
Schams, who has been in treatment since June, has titled her first song, “Happiness, Friends, Food.” It’s for all the people who’ve supported her, she said.
“They’ve given so much to me,” she said. “This is a way for me to give something back.”
Now that her chemotherapy is finished, Schams said, it’s like a huge weight off her shoulders.
And the day brought another bonus: Briana Lipor, Miss Wisconsin 2008, stopped by medical center to meet and talk with Schams.
The 22-year-old from Racine has been paired with the Children’s Miracle Network — the official national platform of the Miss America pageant — and Lipor said she hoped her visit would inspire children with cancer.
“It’s actually my first hospital visit,” Lipor said. “And I’ve been waiting for it.”
On Sept. 21, she’ll be in Los Angeles to begin filming a reality series leading up to her participation in the 2009 Miss America pageant in January.
But Friday, she and Schams talked about their goals in life, and Lipor sang “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” to the 14-year-old.
Singing is natural for Lipor, who won the Miss Wisconsin crown in part by singing Puccini’s “Chi il bel sogno di Doretta.”
She said getting the chance to meet someone like Schams was just as special as winning the title.
“She’s phenomenal,” Lipor said. “She has a great mind and is going to make a great composer some day.”
