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Summary of Episode 1 (Health and Piano Podcast)
Declan (DecPlay founder) and Colin, two cancer survivors from Northern England, share their experiences living with Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinaemia, a rare blood cancer.
Colin has survived 16 years with the condition, whilst Declan faced a near-death experience after a medical mishap during treatment.
They discuss how their diagnoses led to profound life changes, including reprioritising family, pursuing passions, and finding purpose. Declan explains how his cancer journey inspired him to share his piano teaching methods, which have helped thousands of older adults improve their health and wellbeing through music, creating unexpected communities and providing physical, mental, and emotional benefits.
Transcript of Episode 1 (Health and Piano Podcast)
Living Well with Cancer Through Music and Mindset
Host: Declan (DecPlay Founder) | Guest: Colin
[00:00] INTRODUCTION
Declan: Hi, Colin. How's it going?
Colin: Not so bad, Declan. Not so bad. How are you?
Declan: I'm good. Thanks. The sun is shining, so it always lifts your spirits, doesn't it? For anybody watching who doesn't know who we are, I thought it'd be useful to give a quick overview. I'm Declan, the piano teacher, and this is Colin. We both have similar accents - we're from about 10 miles away from each other. Rochdale and Oldham.
Colin: That's correct. The center of the universe, the north, the northwest - God's country.
[00:56] MEETING AT THE WM CONFERENCE
Declan: We met at the WM conference. WM is Waldenström's Macroglobulinaemia - it's taken me about a year to learn how to say that.
Colin: You've nearly got it right.
Declan: WM for anyone who doesn't know is a lymphoma, a type of blood cancer mined in the bone marrow. We met at a conference. I didn't know I had it at all 18 months ago, and I felt as fit as a fiddle. Found out I had it, had chemo and all that. I'd not met anybody else who had it - it's quite rare.
I went to this conference in London where I met you - a real godsend. I went from knowing absolutely nothing about this illness to knowing other people have it. You can actually see people who have it, which changes it from theoretical to real. It makes you feel less abnormal.
[02:53] COLIN'S 16-YEAR JOURNEY
Colin: One of the great things about doing a conference like that is you circulate. You get to know people and their experiences. You learn about other drugs and symptoms. We bumped into each other through another friend called Bob. I think it was a case of I've got many years experience of trying not to die and you've got less.
Declan: I'm an apprentice at not trying to die.
Colin: I've proven you can stop dying if you wish. It will now be 16 years. When I was diagnosed back in 2008, the drugs and treatments were pretty basic and fairly harsh. If you were lucky, you got three years and possibly five. That's what I was told. But the drugs have massively improved. That five year death sentence has got extended. But that's not without problems - there are issues with treatments, the ongoing cancer still plagues you, and the lack of an immune system. But if you're sensible, you stay alive.
[05:16] PURPOSE OF THE PODCAST
Declan: I've learned so much from you and from the organizations - WM UK and IWMF. We thought, we're chatting anyway, so why don't we record it and share it? People might find it useful.
Both of us have found silver linings amongst all this. It can seem gloom and doom when you're healthy and suddenly diagnosed. While I wouldn't wish it on anybody, there are opportunities to get silver linings from challenging situations.
This is about sharing information that might uplift people's spirits and be practically useful. We're absolutely not giving medical advice - just sharing what we've found useful. There are parallels with other cancers and long-term serious illnesses. It's for anybody looking to improve their health and wellbeing.
Through my piano work, I've got thousands of students aged 60 to mid-90s, and learning piano has had enormous health and wellbeing benefits for them. It's all interconnected - mental, emotional, physical benefits of music. It is a form of therapy.
[08:14] THE INITIAL CANCER DIAGNOSIS
Colin: When you're first diagnosed with cancer, there are no great moments where you think "This is life changing." You're affected by doom and gloom and potential depression. It's not until later when you realize you're going to live that you see it as another door being opened. Like this is my second life.
For people of my age, 67, cancer was always deemed a death sentence. You'd get chemotherapy that made you feel bad and then you died. That's how I traditionally viewed cancer. But once you get over that hump, you can see there are other things to be concerned about.
For me, I always worked - never did anything else. That was still important because you need to earn money, but it became less important. What was more important was family, friends, being close with people and doing things you wanted to do rather than things you thought you should do.
[10:24] PIANO AS A BUCKET LIST ITEM
Colin: A lot of people see it as an opportunity. I've got X number of years to live. I'm going to die at some point. It's that knowledge - I've had a close shave and I will die, so I've got to do all the things I want to do. That could be a bucket list, but as you've discovered, one of those items is learning to play a musical instrument.
Declan: It seems to be a pretty high percentage. Out of thousands of students, several hundred have told me the reason they took up piano was because they had an illness.
Claudine is one example. She promised herself during treatment that when she got through it, this was something to look forward to. It was a lifelong dream.
There's Alex, who was given six months to live. He had heart issues and a stroke, lost almost all use of his left hand. He also had depression and anxiety. He said piano absolutely transformed all those things. It's not a cure, but it massively helped in all areas, including getting back most use of his left hand. The stories are really uplifting.
Last week, two different people on the same day said they haven't long left to live. One guy is learning piano because he promised himself before he goes, he wants to play a song.
[13:19] MENTAL HEALTH AND STAYING POSITIVE
Colin: When I got ill, I got quite down, probably depressed. That really drags you down. I don't think being positive cures you of anything, but being depressed and down drags you down heavily. Keeping a positive attitude, having something to live for, something you've never done - that can lift you out of doom and gloom, particularly during treatment.
These things are necessary but not well discussed. Most doctors are aware you need to be happy, but their job is to treat your cancer, not your mental health. That's one difficult area. Something like DecPlay will help certain people.
For me, it was making sure I kept family close and did more things with family and friends rather than work too much. I never really had a bucket list. It was more just enjoy what you're doing when you're doing it.
[15:28] DECLAN'S NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE
Declan: On the day I was diagnosed with cancer, the following day they did a bone marrow biopsy. I was due home the next day to start chemotherapy as an outpatient. But the biopsy went wrong. It punctured an artery. I was bleeding for 15 hours before they knew. Everything shut down - heart, lungs, kidneys, everything. They had to bring me back to life.
That's a separate story - being right on the edge, feeling what it's like to have somebody shouting "Stay with us!" after they got my heart going the first time. Then feeling how peaceful it was to go and how difficult it was to stay.
I wake up in ICU with many days of operations ahead, not knowing if I'd make it through. They thought I wouldn't. Then on a ventilator - everything had shut down so I couldn't breathe on my own. In that state, I literally forgot I had cancer.
Colin: No surprise there. That's about seven or eight near-death situations in one go.
[18:11] THE PEACEFUL NATURE OF NEAR-DEATH
Declan: It was quite peaceful because it wasn't like a car accident with my body in bits. I wasn't in pain, just bleeding out internally. The blood was leaving my circulation system, and the pressure building up caused all organs to shut down.
It was peaceful. Luckily I wasn't in pain. But then the ICU bit and operations trying to fix the damage, trying to get my body from everything shut down - being kept alive by machines - to get each bit working again. That was the difficult bit.
Just trying to breathe took so long and was so difficult. Getting off the ventilator - I couldn't breathe enough. My lungs couldn't move enough, so they had to put it back in. For a long time I was focused just on breathing. I was paralyzed, couldn't move anything except my hand a little after a few days. I didn't know if I'd ever walk again.
Quite a while later, I woke up one morning and thought "Oh yeah, I've got cancer." It was such a non-issue compared to where I'd been.
[20:06] PERSPECTIVE AND APPRECIATION
Declan: It's all relative. A few weeks earlier, I was climbing big hills in Iceland, walking for miles, feeling as fit as ever. Going from super fit to being kept alive by machines, then getting out of ICU and slowly getting my body to do basic things again.
I now appreciate every day, every set of stairs, every breath. The fact my legs work. The fact I can walk, eat. I'm back to normal weight after being a skeleton from months of not eating.
While I still have cancer now, because I've been in that other place, where I'm at right now is absolutely privileged. That's helped me mentally accept it because I truly feel fortunate to be where I'm at.
[21:03] NO FEAR OF DEATH
Colin: How have you found it in terms of accepting death?
Declan: I remember that moment when the nurse found me when my heart stopped. I didn't have a pulse or blood pressure. They were doing compressions to bring me back. The crash team came and had to do it again on the way to ICU.
That period - that's probably the cusp between life and death. It was very peaceful. So I don't fear death at all if that's what death is. Obviously I don't want to choose it earlier than it's gonna happen, but I don't fear it.
That's had a profound difference on how I view life. Before, I took it for granted. I'd always been incredibly healthy. My parents are in their nineties and healthy, so I assumed I'd be at least in my nineties.
Now I'm aware life is fragile, but I'm also aware of so many things that are working again that weren't. I don't take them for granted. I can move my arms, speak, walk, breathe, eat, look at grass. In ICU there were no windows. Just to see grass lifted my spirit.
[23:32] QUALITY OVER LONGEVITY
Declan: It's transformed my view of life and appreciation for life. I don't have fear of death. I'm living now not bound by as many shackles. I absolutely won't go without something to save for a rainy day. If I want an experience, I'm gonna experience it because I don't know if I'll be able to at a future point.
In some ways it's been a gift - odd to say, and I would've preferred it didn't happen and wouldn't wish it on anybody. But there's a gift to be taken from the not nice experience - massive appreciation for things I always had but didn't appreciate. Now I'm focused on quality of life, not longevity of life.
[25:55] FAMILY AS PRIORITY
Colin: For me it was different - mainly family. For many people, it's about completing certain things and bucket lists. But I remember you talking about considering your business objectives while in that situation.
[26:34] FINDING PURPOSE IN ICU
Declan: When I was in ICU being wheeled out every day for another operation, they made it clear to sort out whatever I needed because I might not make it. I've always been a positive thinker. I accept I don't control it.
I made my peace, said my last things. I was at peace with going, more thinking of the upset for my family and partner. I was okay with going because I've had an incredible life. But I thought, if I make it, what am I going to do?
It absolutely wasn't "I want more money in the bank" or "thousands more students." It was nothing to do with that. Not a bigger house or more cars. It was sharing knowledge.
[28:01] THE DECPLAY METHOD ORIGIN
Declan: The thousands of students we have are on the beginner's course, transforming people who can't play into playing incredibly quickly - often within the same day, sometimes within hours.
This came from how I play by ear. I can instantly hear a tune and play it. I realized if I can scan a tune in seconds and know how to play it, it can't be as difficult as all the classical dots that take ages to learn.
I realized there's a simple pattern going on. I de-engineered how I do that in my head. That became this new way of teaching piano, which has been awarded a patent and gets quick results most people think are impossible.
[30:03] THE REGRET THAT FOCUSED EVERYTHING
Declan: The professional way of playing and teaching others to play by ear - I'd never explained those steps to anybody. I thought "I can't die now. I've not explained it. This is gonna get lost to the world."
That was my biggest regret - spending time on videos, marketing, buying classic cars, but never getting this crucial information out of my head. Nobody on the planet knows this sequence.
So that was it. If I get out, that's what I'm gonna do. It was so clear and has helped me focus ever since. The whole purpose of DecPlay is transforming lives through music. It's not sales, turnover, and profit.
[32:42] THE POWER OF FOCUS
Colin: Your near-death experience really laser-focused the way you look at things, making you appreciate what's important and what you actually want to do rather than what you are doing.
Unfortunately, we tend to go back to what we've always done if we're not careful. It's easy to slip into that same mindset. It's comfortable to do what you've always done.
Declan: It's the balance. I was so clear. I had a lot of time to think during those critical days. Many hours every day to think - if I get out, what am I gonna do?
[36:49] DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES ON WHAT MATTERS
Declan: So yours was family and friends?
Colin: Family. Having family close. It was an appreciation of that. Taking moments to actually absorb all those things - the grandkids and all. It's something we take for granted.
Like breathing - we take breathing absolutely for granted. There's so much in life we don't really absorb as much as we should.
[38:20] THE HEALING POWER OF MUSIC
Declan: Other people do the course for the same reasons - they want to learn a musical instrument. They've always wanted to learn. They had lessons when they were six and couldn't hack it, but always had that desire to learn music.
It's amazing how many have that story - piano as a lifelong dream. Steve in California joined because his grandfather played piano. Nobody in the family learned after grandfather passed away. But he remembered what it felt like to see granddad playing. He wanted that for his granddaughters - to give them a legacy of music in the family.
When he retired, he said "I'm gonna be the granddad that plays piano." Within days, he's playing a song. His grandkids were curious - "What's that, granddad?" The method is so simple - it avoids classical dots. It's just numbers and patterns, which a four-year-old can learn as well as people in their nineties.
His granddaughters start playing, then his daughter had a go. Suddenly three generations are playing piano. This was days after joining the course.
[41:17] MUSIC CONNECTS GENERATIONS
Declan: Music has a way of creating powerful emotions and connecting people. His memory from decades earlier was so strong it encouraged him to make those memories for his grandkids.
There's a lady whose mother played piano and passed away. She said "I'm doing it for my mom." She tried as a child and couldn't do it, was told she wasn't musical. But she made an effort in memory of her mom.
She joined the course, found it easy, and started playing. Every time she plays now, she's thinking of her mum. What a lovely thought - the mother looking down at her child, now adult, playing on their piano.
[42:41] THE DEMENTIA STORY
Declan: I used to do voluntary work playing in hospitals and old folks homes. At this nursing home, people are wheeled out in wheelchairs. I asked what tune they want - I can play by ear. This lady wanted an Irish tune, so I played it and she sang along great.
I came back a month later. She's there singing, all normal. Ray, the staff member, said "That lady singing - last time she'd been in bed for months and was nonverbal."
I said "What? The singing lady?" He said "Yeah, she hadn't spoken. She was nonverbal. Her brain had shut down, but something about the music brought her back. That was a song from her childhood. It reactivated some area of her brain."
She could sing all the words, smiling and singing. In that month gap, she went back to her room, stayed in bed, wouldn't get out, was nonverbal again until I came back and played.
I found it hard to believe - I wouldn't have known there was any problem mentally. But she had dementia to such an extent she was nonverbal most of the time. Music unlocked this.
[45:23] CONFIDENCE THROUGH MUSIC
Declan: Many people say confidence is probably the most common thing. They wanted to play all their childhood, maybe tried, were told they weren't musical. Now they find they can start playing incredibly quickly. The method they were taught wasn't appropriate for their learning type or the music they wanted to play.
They are musical, they can play incredibly quickly. They're thinking "What else could I do? What else have I told myself I couldn't do?" It boosts confidence across all areas.
Colin: Going back to illness - it gives you confidence because you don't really care what other people think anymore. After a near-death situation, what does it matter? It gives you confidence - "I'm going to give this a go. I don't care if nobody is thrilled with it. Their opinions don't matter. It's what I want to do."
[47:30] DD - THE 95-YEAR-OLD SUPERSTAR
Declan: DD is 95, might be 96 now. She's a superstar. Her partner died years ago and she said learning piano lifted her out of this dark place.
She plays piano for birthdays and family members, videos it and sends it. They pass it to people at work saying "Look at my granny playing piano." She joined DecPlay a year ago.
She gets feedback from people she doesn't even know. She's getting semi-famous in workplaces where her family work. How wonderful she's spreading joy of music beyond herself. It's amazing on all levels - emotional, physical, mental.
[49:02] MUSIC AS PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION
Declan: Music was massive in my life. I used to be incredibly shy as a kid with a really bad stammer. Had spots and wasn't sporty. Music was the one thing I could build confidence around.
It's like anything - once you get solid ground, you can build something. If you don't have confidence about anything, it's harder to move forward. You just need something. "I can do this maybe better than most people." From that you can build confidence.
[50:04] FROM HOSPITAL BED TO LEGACY
Colin: You're a great testament. From lying in bed thinking "I haven't passed on this knowledge about how people can easily learn to play music by ear," that spurred you on. Bizarre really - from point of death to giving you opportunity to do something else.
Declan: I had the opportunity before but didn't have the spur. It was the focus - I let distractions get in the way. When faced with "I literally might not make it," that clarity of "If I get back through them doors, what am I gonna do with that second chance?"
It becomes clear. All the other stuff - "That shed needs painting" or "I'm gonna invest shares" - suddenly none of that matters. So what does matter?
[52:05] FINDING FULFILLMENT THROUGH OTHERS
Declan: I realized my fulfillment comes from helping transform other people's lives. I love playing gigs. I played with my hero Glenn Hansard - he won an Oscar for "Falling Slowly" from the film "Once." I played his last night of the Irish tour because his keyboard player got COVID.
That's brilliant. I love playing to a crowd - massive buzz. However, I've realized empowering other people is more fulfilling.
[54:09] MIKE'S STORY - WRITING SONGS AT 79
Declan: Mike had a go at 79. He said "I tried as a kid but couldn't do it. The dots were confusing." Very quickly he's playing tunes. Within weeks, he starts using the simple patterns that underlie all music. Then he starts writing his own songs - it becomes easy when you understand these patterns.
They had a family get-together. He writes a song for the family - humorous thing about grandkids, nieces and nephews. He's playing piano, singing the song he wrote about the family to the family. This guy started at 79.
Now all the nieces, nephews, grandkids see granddad do this - this is their norm. Their norm is our family has music. It opens up possibilities and connection and joy for everybody. Not just the person playing, but the person listening.
[56:14] WHY THIS MATTERS MORE THAN FAME
Declan: That's way more fulfilling than me writing songs or getting on TV or radio. Playing to a crowd is lovely, but I found this is way more fulfilling.
Colin: If you're improving someone's health and wellbeing, that's major. For anyone with empathy, passion, consideration for others. Improving someone's musical skills, but more importantly their health and wellbeing - the way they think about themselves and project themselves. That's so important.
[57:20] TEACHING DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS
Declan: I'm lucky to have found these older age groups. Teaching is more fulfilling for me at the moment. The older age group is more transformational. I've taught kids - love them, the energy and joy is wonderful. But they have so many possibilities open to them.
With older people, almost immediately they tell you "This has changed my life and brought joy back after my partner died that I never thought I'd find again." That's immediate overwhelming fulfillment because of the transformational effect.
[59:39] THE UNEXPECTED COMMUNITY
Declan: One thing I didn't foresee was the community side. We have thousands of students learning piano in their own homes. They can communicate with other students online. We have a DecPlay club where they share videos, message and comment.
People can join a buddy scheme - we put them in touch with other students on the same journey. They can choose if they want them in the same geographical area. Some are meeting up - five or six people at somebody's house for a piano party.
Whether online like pen pals or meeting in person, having somebody on the same journey has brought so much joy. I didn't expect that.
[1:01:11] PIANO AS PHYSICAL THERAPY
Declan: Playing my new baby grand piano after getting out of hospital - physically playing and the creativity I found really helped my recovery. It took my focus off ailments and pain in my body. Took me to a different place.
The resonance of an acoustic piano, especially a grand - I feel different playing that. Like a massage of your body with frequencies going through the air. People love music and it moves me, makes me feel good.
[1:02:11] A GIFT TO SHARE
Declan: This whole thing - the community and music - it's a gift I can share with other people. For as much time as I've got left, hopefully a long time, that's all I wanna do - share this.
Colin: Bizarre, isn't it? A serious situation helped you with priorities. Your wish to share knowledge inadvertently created more business but also opened something you never anticipated - this community sharing information, knowledge, passions and joy to do music together.
All from a near-death experience where you're left with different appreciation - just breathing is pretty good. Looking out the window, seeing grass. That made you concentrate on what you wanted to do and reassessed priorities.
[1:03:33] FINDING BENEFIT IN THE WORST TIMES
Declan: Sometimes the worst times can bring benefit. I wouldn't wish it on anybody. However, I've got much better appreciation of life and clearer focus on how I can help others and feel more fulfilled myself. It's totally win-win.
[1:04:11] PIANO AS MEDICINE
Colin: It's about how it improves people's health and wellbeing generally. You talked about relieving dementia symptoms, and for people in their seventies and eighties getting mental agility but also physical agility. It reduces discomfort. It's almost like physiotherapy playing piano.
Declan: Alex lost use of his left arm and hand. That came back over months. Pam had arthritis and questioned if she could even learn piano. We found not only can you play with arthritis, but it actually helps relieve symptoms.
Pam found over months not only did dexterity improve, but she could come off all medication because pain had gone down in her hands. She doesn't need it anymore.
[1:06:16] WHY PIANO WORKS BETTER THAN TRADITIONAL THERAPY
Declan: A physiotherapist said this type of movement is what they'd try to get people to do. But they only have squeezy balls. Three minutes feels like hours and you get bored. If physio says do 15 minutes three times a day, most people won't because it's boring.
With piano - 15 minutes? Some people start and two hours later time has flown. They're still playing because it's fun.
Colin: Physiotherapy tends to create pain. Not just boredom - squeezing that ball, you get discomfort and pain. Playing music is different - it's distraction from pain and discomfort. You're doing something but distracted. You ignore the pain and overcome issues. You're making it fun, so you carry on.
Declan: Good point. Your brain can only focus on one thing at a time and can't handle good and bad in the same moment. Like NLP - introducing something you love alongside a negative issue. The brain can't be both "I'm in pain" and "this is great fun." It chooses one. If focused on fun, you can't notice pain in that instant.
[1:08:43] PIANO ACTIVATES THE WHOLE BRAIN
Declan: Studies show playing piano is top of activities that activate all brain areas simultaneously. Motor skills - both hands doing separate things. Reading instructions - eyes working. Brain interpreting instructions. Listening for wrong notes. Auditory, visual, both hands, brain working out and applying instructions.
On top, there's fun because people love music, especially playing songs they love. Feeling progress playing that song - lifting spirits, fun of the song. "I'm getting closer to playing this song I love" while working all these things simultaneously.
I view it as the most powerful drug that's natural with no side effects apart from happy.
[1:10:10] MUSIC AS NATURAL ANTIDEPRESSANT
Colin: Taking happy pills is one way to overcome problems, but lifting mood by playing music is best. It reduces stress, removes anxiety, takes away depression - the thing that curses most people who've been ill. That black dog descending is terrible when something like this could genuinely help.
[1:11:26] CREATING COMMUNITY AND FIGHTING LONELINESS
Colin: You inadvertently created a peer group who can get together, communicate, harmonize, share experiences. Some live locally and physically get together. You created community, social connection. That probably reduces loneliness - another great thing.
Declan: That's feedback from many people. Along with confidence, loneliness is one of the big things. It's massively helped. Like-minded people on the same journey. Everyone is learning. You never stop learning - wonderful thing. Always more to learn, more songs, more ability. You never get bored if you like growth.
Colin: Not just growth - it's fun. People share experiences, play music to each other. They provide support through that common connection of music.
[1:13:00] SUPPORTING EACH OTHER
Declan: Many students in their seventies, eighties, nineties have lost partners. While they have family, their kids have kids - grandkids. Their kids are busy minding their own children, have jobs.
Students say it's lovely having this community of similar age people on the same journey to share music with. It's fun. They feel connection without putting upon anybody. They're helping other people - everyone helping everybody.
It really helps with loneliness. Depression, anxiety - students say it's massively lifted spirits. I didn't envisage it being as powerful as it turned out.
[1:14:13] THE UNEXPECTED GLOBAL REACH
Colin: It came about because of online teaching format. Enables community to develop. Like you said, someone in California - location becomes irrelevant. People of like mind with understanding of each other. Great for creating community that never existed before.
Declan: They're in 72 countries now - mainly UK, America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland. English-speaking countries mainly. I'm really privileged to work in this area.
[1:15:26] MORE THAN JUST PIANO
Declan: I realize it's not about teaching piano full stop. Definitely not about passing exams or levels. Not interested in levels. I'm interested in how people enhance their life, health and wellbeing. The vehicle I use happens to be piano.
Other people might use medicine, psychotherapy, physical activities. Lots of people improve lives different ways. My vehicle happens to be piano, but it's about health and wellbeing.
[1:16:43] CLOSING
Declan: I'm excited for us to chat and waffle about stuff.
Colin: I like the word waffle. It's good.
Declan: Thanks for your time. Really enjoyed chatting. That's why I thought it'd be good to share these.
Colin: Thanks, Declan. Really enjoyed our chat as always.
Declan: See you on the next call.
Colin: Alright, thanks very much. Cheers.
Declan: Cheers now. Bye-bye.
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END OF TRANSCRIPT
Total Runtime: 1:17:34
