A few months ago, I was introduced to the Lullaby Project via the University Health Network’s (UHN) Krembil Brain Institute. The purpose of the Lullaby Project’s collaboration with Krembil is to offer mothers living with epilepsy the ability to create lullabies for their kids and also to see how music impacts those living with the condition. All participants were matched up with a songwriter who would create something for them (or another singer) to record. This was done in partnership with Massey Hall/Roy Thomson Hall. The song I recorded (with special thanks to my songwriter, Scarlett Flynn) is called Bug.

I really enjoyed working with Scarlett and recording. It was my first time recording solo at a studio – I had done some recording as a member of the school choir back in high school for a singer who performs for elementary school students (I don’t even remember his name. It wasn’t a big name musician from the kids’ music world like Raffi or Sharon, Lois and Bram). All the choirs in the school, from JK through high school also recorded an album of holiday/Christmas music back in the 90s. But that was done in the chapel, not an actual studio.

Was it nerve-racking? Maybe a little, but like I said, I had a lot of fun!! And I love singing, and really, I should do it more outside of the shower. I haven’t really done much singing since Jr. Mintz was very young. And prior to his birth, I rarely sang. A far contrast from when my high school and university days – especially high school, when I sang in chapel EVERY SINGLE SCHOOL DAY!!!

NOTE: The Lullaby Project is an international program first started in New York through Carnegie Hall’s Weill Institute. The Toronto chapter (??)/program first collaborated with Jessie’s Centre, which helps empower young women/parents, providing them with programs and services to help them, including education, health services and housing support. It later expanded to projects with the Regent Park Community Health Centre and UHN’s Krembil Institute.

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Introducing What’s the Difference? It’s a podcast about living with invisible disabilities. I’m hosting the show with three other women who are also living with challenges. They range from a heart condition which was diagnosed at birth to blindness as well as another woman who also has epilepsy. Our first episode debuted on February 12. We discuss how our disabilities/challenges have impacted our lives, including how we’re treated once people find out about them, how it impacts romantic relationships, work life and more.

This is going to be a regular thing and my co-hosts and I hope that it will help destigmatize invisible disabilities (which often gets left out of the picture when it comes to ability diversity) and give people like us a voice. Considering my cultural heritage seems to be one which hides things quite a bit (I don’t even want to get into it when it comes to mental health. It’s YEARS behind Anglo-Canadian culture and there’s still stigma there), I KNOW that I might heavily criticized. I don’t care about that – it’s important to make changes, no matter how challenging.

What’s the Difference? can be heard on Anchor as well as pretty much anywhere one finds podcasts (such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts). I’ll be posting new episodes on this page as well. Of course, please subscribe if you’d like to be notified of new episodes. We’re also on Facebook and Instagram!

Image by frank_peters/Shutterstock

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