Student records music with composer after rare cancer diagnosis
A 24-year-old with a rare cancer recorded songs with composer Stephen Rae through a palliative care program.
Julio Villamil came to Sydney from Colombia a year ago to study English. A year later, he got diagnosed with a desmoplastic small round cell tumour.
This cancer is so rare that only about 200 people worldwide have it. Without family nearby, he faced treatment alone.
His story touched thousands of people. A GoFundMe raised enough money to bring his parents and siblings to Australia.
While in palliative care at Chris O'Brien LifeHouse, he joined HammondCare's LifeStories program. The program tries to honour people in palliative care by creating music to share their stories.
He worked with composer Stephen Rae, who is known for his work on Australian shows including Love My Way and Gallipoli. Together they created several songs, including a three-minute hip-hop track called What Really Matters.
- 24
- Age
- About 200 worldwide
- People with this cancer
- 2023
- LifeStories program launched
Why it mattersThe project shows how creative expression helps people facing terminal illness. It lets them work through their experience and leave a lasting legacy.
AustraliaThe HammondCare LifeStories program is based in Sydney and has created over 250 songs for Australian patients since launching in 2023.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 3 h ago
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