WOMEN WHO INSPIRE
BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR LOVES LIFE…ALL OF IT
Amy Camie embraces every day with hope and happiness
By VICKI BENNINGTON
No one rejoices in life more than Creve Coeur area
resident Amy Camie, who has been on a roller coaster
journey since 2010, though for the last couple of years,
she’s done nothing but climb to new heights.
As a harpist, Amy’s soothing, healing music has served
as therapy for others for many years - particularly
for cancer patients and their families. When she was
diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2010, she felt
like her life had prepared her for the experience.
Growing up, she was surrounded by music through her
parents - both were music teachers and heavily involved
in community music organizations. She began playing
the harp in the fourth grade, and the instrument has
now been at her side for more than 40 years. In 1989,
she began to think of her music in a different way after a
sick friend said that it made her relax.
With the help of a music therapist, Amy prepared a
questionnaire that was sent with her harp music to 50
people of all ages and demographics. The overwhelming
response was that the music inspired deep relaxation.
“My sole (and soul) gift is music,” she said. “My
husband, John’s, is accessing silent knowledge. He
taught me a series of healing chants that awoke
something inside of me.”
She recorded “The Magic Mirror” CD – not from printed
music – but from her heart and soul. She believes that
more than the notes and the music, the energy and
consciousness that comes from within as she plays, helps
create therapeutic, healing properties.
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After recording the CD, Amy met Dr. William Collins, a
psychologist and neurotherapist, who used “The Magic
Mirror” as a basis of a Scientific Arts Foundation pilot
study to explore the impact of the CD on brain wave
function of four women undergoing chemotherapy
treatments. Results indicated that after listening to the
CD daily for 10 days, it increased neurological function,
and the women were less anxious, more relaxed, and
more able to focus. In another pilot study, Dr. David
Kossor and Dr. Abdul Waheed tested saliva, which
indicated a sustained impact on the immune system for
up to 72 hours after listening to the CD just one time.
As a result of the findings, doors began to open for Amy
at hospitals and treatment centers, where she integrated
with cancer patients, and did what she felt she was
meant to do – helping others with her music.
GAZELLE STL
Photo by Jennifer Korman Photography
“When I was diagnosed with breast cancer it was
almost surreal,” she said. “But I knew it was part of my
journey.” She had a lumpectomy, and underwent a series
of chemotherapy and radiation treatments, and listened
to “The Magic Mirror” twice a day. She documented
everything to keep family and friends informed and to
help purge her emotions and thoughts. Each time she
faced a negative experience, she tried to turn it around.
“I knew I was going to lose my hair,” she said. “As
women, hair helps us define ourselves. Without it, you
feel a sense of vulnerability. But I had to learn to let go.”