Hi, my name is Tara. Sometimes, life doesn’t exactly go according to plan, and we’re thrown a curveball or have a great obstacle to overcome. This shouldn’t mean we stop living, throw our hands up in the air or just simply give up. We try to continue to persevere and make our best attempt to be courageous, brave, hopeful, inspirational and optimistic, among others. For years, I have been battling a rare Hematological/Immunological Disorder called Mast Cell Disease and have undergone many treatments including two transplants, chemo therapy treatments and immunosuppressive drugs. Mast Cell Disease is a multi-systemic disease that can cause patients to go into anaphylaxis.

During my extensive hospital stay as an autologous stem cell transplant patient, one of my most memorable moments was when my Music Therapist would come into my isolation room, pull up a chair next to my bed, take out her guitar and sing to uplift my spirits. Those were certainly momentous times that boosted my morale and gave me the strength and determination to fight and carry on. Not only did my Music Therapist make an everlasting impression on me, but through my journey over the last 13 years, my daughter (age 15)

heart-fully sang each and every day at home. Some of our days were filled with darkness, but her voice shed beaming light upon me and our entire family. It was her devotion to singing that helped guide me through another day with optimism and confidence. 

In June 2018, I received an allogeneic bone marrow transplant. My transplant was done under the direction of Dr. Sergio Giralt at MSKCC. 

Matthew White, from 4th Coast Productions of Rochester, NY has been filming my story to make a documentary called “Second Chance” (Copyright 2018). The film is intended to raise awareness about rare diseases, educate about bone marrow transplants, encourage people to become bone marrow donors and show how music can have healing powers. The story is told using the incorporation of original songs which were co-written and recorded by my 15 year old daughter, Sammi Singz. 

This is a story about hope, love, inspiration, perseverance, strength, courage, to name a few.

The trailer can be seen at:

https://www.4thcoastproductions.com/secondchancedocumentary

If you require any further information, please feel free to contact me at tazielove13@yahoo.com