Archived News - Thank You Song
'Thank You' CD plays on
Liz Farr may have lost her brave battle with cancer but the Eaton Bray mum's music lives on.
Her Thank You Song, recorded as a tribute to all the friends and family who'd supported her during her long illness, is still available.
All you have to do is log on to www.thankyousong.co.uk for an order form. The CD costs £6.95 (plus p&p) and all proceeds go to Gentle Touch Healing.
Source: Herald & Post, 27 July 2006
Opera star's last tribute to brave Liz
The glorious voice of international opera singer Gwen Jeffers filled St Giles Church in Totternhoe at the funeral of Liz Farr (pictured).
The celebration and thanksgiving of last week followed her death on July 8 after a brave battle against cancer that lasted 17 years.
Her husband Clive Bevins, whom she married at an emotional bedside ceremony only three days before she died, wanted it to be a happy occasion.
He said afterwards: "We gave her a good send-off.
"I was so proud of her son, Rob, who decorated the church and the churchyard with blue and yellow banners that echoed the colours in the stained glass windows."
Clive had the packed congregation laughing at his anecdotes about life with Liz.
He also read a poem she'd written for Rob, entitled My Son. She'd intended to set it to music - like her Thank You Song which was played during the service, conducted by the Rev Janet Spicer - but had run out of time.
Liz, who lost two husbands to cancer before being diagnosed herself, attended the premiers last month of Making a Song and Dance About Cancer, a moving tribute to her inspirational life made by her son Rob.
She and Clive had been together for four years.
Clive said later: "I always knew this was where our train would terminate. I just hoped we'd have a few more stops."
Source: Bev Creagh, Dunstable Gazette, 26 July 2006
Liz will you marry me?
There wasn't a dry eye in the house when Eaton Bray's Clive Bevins dropped down on one knee after the premiere of Making A Song And Dance About Cancer - documenting his partner Liz Farr's brave battle with the disease - and asked her to marry him.
"I was totally, totally unprepared," a stunned Liz, 55, said later. "But it was wonderful, at this stage in my life, for such wonderful things to be happening and still to be having such wonderful surprises.
"Clive is my guardian angel. I've never met such a kind and loving person and there's nothing he wouldn't do for me.
"The whole day was magic and the message I want to get across is that if you've got a life-limiting illness, you don't have to give up. You can still have a fantastic time and enjoy every minute you have left."
Clive, 64, said the only person who knew of his romantic intentions before the Rex Cinema screening in Berkhamsted on Friday was Liz's son, Rob, who made the film about his mother's uplifting and inspiring journey.
"I didn't want the premiere to be an anticlimax for Liz," Clive said. "I wanted her to have something else to look forward to, another reason to look ahead."
The happy couple, who met four years ago on a skiing trip, are hoping to have the honeymoon cruise of a lifetime to celebrate their impending nuptials.
Liz, looking frail but radiant, sang her Thank You Song - recorded as a tribute to the family and friends who've supported her - after the credits had rolled on the documentary.
The plucky mum, from Woodside, Eaton Bray, has not only lost two husbands to cancer, but was also diagnosed with breast cancer herself 17 years ago. It has now spread to her spine and liver.
Former insurance company manager Clive said they were so lucky to have got together when they did.
"She's my best friend, the loveliest lady I've ever met," he said. "I do a lot for her but I know if our situations were reversed, she'd do exactly the same for me."
And Liz is equally complimentary about Clive.
"He's the perfect partner," she said. "All my family and friends want to be around him, because he brings something special to our relationship and makes us feel complete. We enjoy being together, even if we're only watching TV." Liz also appreciates the fact he doesn't wallow in her disease.
"He pushes my illness to one side and says: 'Right, you've got this so we'll do that'," said Liz. "If I'm feeling fine, we do things. And if I'm having a bad day, we don't."
Liz was immensely moved by the documentary, which was put together over the past year.
"When it started I had tears in my eyes," she said. "It was so emotional. But as it progressed, I got more used to it.
"It's very powerful. It charts the ups and downs, what it's like to live with this condition. My son and I had some very honest conversations and I think he's done an absolutely fantastic job, bless him."
Rob is hoping to enter the film in various international festivals. And he's hoping a final version - including the romantic ending - will make it on to television.
The premiere raised more than £1,000 for Dunstable-based charity Gentle Touch Healing, whose hands-on approach has helped and strengthened Liz as she comes to terms with what lies ahead.
For more details about Liz's life and to order the Thank You Song CD, visit the www.thankyousong.co.uk website.
Source: Dunstable Gazette, 14 June 2006
Film and song sum up Liz's brave battle against cancer
A brave mum who has fought cancer for 17 years will attend the premiere of a film about her battle next month.
Liz Farr, 55, of Woodside, Eaton Bray has already recorded a CD of a song she wrote and set to music as a tribute to the family and friends who have supported her through her ordeal.
She lost two husbands to cancer, before being diagnosed with the disease herself. It was discovered in her breast and has now spread to her spine and liver.
Liz sang her Thank You Song to a church congregation of more than 1,000 at St Albans in December. All proceeds from the CD are going to charity and she wants it player at her funeral.
"It sums up how I'd like to be remembered - as someone who always managed to smile and be positive, no matter what, she said."
But in the meanwhile she's too busy living to think about dying. She and her partner Clive are doing all in their power to fight the disease together. They've adopted a new lifestyle and a strict cancer-friendly diet to accompany and complement her conventional medical treatment.
Now her son Rob, a film graduate, has made a documentary about her positive and holistic approach to her illness. He wants to share it with others so they can be uplifted and inspired by his mother's journey.
Making A Song And Dance About Cancer will be shown at the beautiful art deco Rex Cinema in Berkhamsted. Tickets are free but all donations will go to the Dunstable-based charity Gentle Touch Healing, whose hands-on treatment has helped and strengthened Liz as she comes to tems with what lies ahead.
She said: "I known I'm dying of cancer, but I'm going to spend whatever time I have left helping others cope with it."
Gentle Touch founder Ray Wilson said: "Liz is a very brave and couragous person who brings joy to many with her buoyant and infectious personality."
Making A Song And Dance About Cancer will be shown on Friday, June 9 at the Rex Cinema, High Street, Berkhamsted. Tel: 01442 877 759.
Visit Liz Farr's website www.thankyousong.co.uk to order the CD and for more details about her life.
Source: Bev Creagh, Leighton Buzzard Observer, 16 May 2006