An island singer-songwriter has made her musical debut after being treated for leukaemia.
Originally from Jersey, Isabel Marsh, known as IZI, was given the life-threatening diagnosis in 2020 and underwent intensive treatment she says put her voice at risk.
Now 25, she has released an upbeat pop song BAD, fulfilling a personal ambition having once feared she might never be able to follow her passion in music.
Ms Marsh said: “I tried to start singing again and completely lost everything I had before. I really thought it was over.”
Ms Marsh told BBC Radio Jersey: “There was a period when I was trying to get back into life and be normal again.”
During her recovery, Ms Marsh grappled with the possibility of leaving music behind and considered becoming an astronomer, drawn by a lifelong fascination with space.
In time however, she returned to her interest in music.
Ms Marsh says enrolling in an online diploma course in music production gave her a different perspective: “Taking the pressure off singing helped me rediscover my passion.
“I started songwriting for assessments, and slowly, my voice came back. I went back to singing lessons, and after that year, I thought, ‘Wait, maybe this is fun again.'”
Now in remission and based in Manchester, Ms Marsh has some advice for others facing challenges of their own.
“You need to give yourself grace. Be kind to yourself like you would to a friend. Our brains believe what we tell them, if we say we can’t do it, we won’t. But if we say we can, nothing can stop us.”