Fred had his whole life ahead of him when a pain in his left knee brought his world crashing down. In an interview, Fred said of the early days, ” I was 24 years old, 33 years ago, when I found out I had osteogenic sarcoma, a type of bone cancer.” He described his reaction as “shock, disbelief, incomprehension followed by gradual realisation.” It changed his life as he suddenly became aware at a very young age of his mortality. He endured radical (mutilating) surgery, gruelling chemotherapy and has had four knee replacements. He has penned his journey through his life since in a book titled, ‘One Autumn Day”. Fred resides in Beckenham with his family.

Q Why did you write ‘One Autumn Day’?

A To help people going through cancer, and their families. At public speaking engagements, I have given away copies and asked recipients to make a voluntary donation to cancer charity.

Q What involvement do you have with cancer charity?

A I am involved in public speaking and fundraising concerts for Skeletal Cancer Action Trust, a small charity run by the consultants at The Royal Orthopaedic National Hospital.

Q When is the next fund raising event?

A ‘Painting Meets Music’ is on 1 March 2018 when I am accompanying flautist Sefika Kutluer, in support of Skeletal Cancer Action at St James’s Church Piccadilly, in London. There will be live painting performance by Sumer Erek.

We are looking forward to a successful evening.

Q On the people you have met along your journey through cancer- what impact have they had on your life?

A The nursing staff, physiotherapists, consultants (NHS) - my experience continues to be of fantastic care.

Q How did you begin as a pianist?

A Music was the thing that gave me a focus for what had been very misdirected energies. I credit my first teacher, Florence Creighton, with turning my life around when I was about 14 by patiently opening up an amazing world of culture and inspiring me to work hard even though I was a very late starter on piano.

Q How did cancer affect your music career?

A It was going well at the time of my diagnosis which subsequently brought the whole the thing to an end. Some people thought I had died which was why I was no longer on the scene!

Q What is your involvement with Bromley Youth Music Trust (BYMT)?

A I am invited to be part of BYMT by Lora Dimitrova to work on the Summer school programme.

BYMT is incredibly important for the future of music and culture and also, crucially, the development of young people and their health and well-being. The educational benefit is well documented.

Q What do you enjoy about teaching children and adults? How do you inspire them?

A My students inspire me!

I love seeing the joy expressed by a student when they achieve something they never thought possible for them. That’s the great reward of teaching for me.

Q How do you keep positive?

A Every day of life is a great gift and should not be squandered in negativity, but rather focussing on how to improve the lives of those you can influence.

Tickets for ‘Painting Meets Music’, in support of Scat Bone Cancer Trust, are available on Eventbrite.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/painting-meets-music-tickets-42210168751

By Zahra D'Souza, Sydenham High School