Singing nurse lifts spirits of dying cancer patient

A story that aired on KRDO Newschannel 13 a week ago about a singing nursing assistant at Memorial Hospital continues to spread across the internet.

Charee Martin routinely sings to her patients at Memorial as a way to lift their spirits, and it works.

One local family who saw the story wanted to share how much her songs meant to them and their dying father earlier this year.

“You can’t explain it. It’s just a feeling of joy,” explained Lisa Williams.

Her father, Ivan Williams, was a patient in the oncology wing of the hospital in February, a place most often filled with pain and uncertainty.

Sfter a two year battle with cancer, Williams knew those were his final days.

The reality of her patients’ fate is still hard for Charee to talk about, even after singing to hundreds of people in her two years as a Certified Nursing Assistant.

“Most of my patients, they know that their time is limited, and little by little they accept that,” she said.

A singer since her childhood, Charee knows that she can’t change their fate, but she can help them to forget what lies ahead for them.

“And I actually think it took away what he was going through for that moment,” said Lisa Williams.

“He knew what was going on, and singing that kind of brought memories back,” added Ivan’s other daughter, Annette Williams.

Ivan Williams, a Vietnam veteran and purple heart recipient who loved to fish, died 6 days later.

However, thanks in part to the serenade, they have a lasting memory to cherish from their stay at the hospital.

“It just made our day. That was one of the best days of our lives,” said Lisa.