Tricia Johnston was lying in bed over four years ago when, placing a hand on her left breast, the unimaginable occurred: She felt a lump.

An ultrasound and biopsy revealed Stage 1 breast cancer. But early detection aided her chances. Following a lumpectomy and radiation, today she remains cancer-free.

Contributed photo (ENLARGE)

"I've got a scar, but that's OK," Johnston said. "I was very lucky."

Now that's something to sing about.

Johnston is one of more than 100 musicians performing in the Symphony of Hope on Friday, an annual concert donating proceeds to the American Cancer Society and the Leo W. Jenkins Cancer Center. The performance will begin with instrumental works by Sibelius and Puccini, while the second half features gospel hymns sung by a choir amassed from area churches. Additionally, Wilmington composer and Julliard graduate Barbara Gallagher will debut "Dancing into the Light," a piece honoring her mother, who is a cancer survivor.

Gallagher has much in common with those performing her composition. Most involved represent a friend or family member who battled cancer, but others, like Johnston and violinist Francis Smith, are survivors themselves.

It's been a decade since Smith was diagnosed with breast cancer, but "prayer and positive attitude" have always kept her going. Today, she speaks casually of undergoing chemotherapy while a 1- and 3-year-old waited for their mom at home.

"I didn't even think too hard of it," she said. "You do what you have to do."

Smith is a former physician's assistant turned stay-at-home mom. The medical background gave her a different perspective from other cancer patients. She understood the importance of enduring almost a year of chemotherapy, and utilized a research track enabling her to test ground-breaking medications.

"I chose a longer treatment because I was young," she explained. "You have to hit it hard the first time."

She appreciates the research continuing to be funded by events like Symphony of Hope, and maintains positive thinking.

"People left and right around me have it (cancer)," she noted. "It's nice to have the experience to comfort them."

Smith's daughter Catherine, now 15, will sit a few chairs away for the third year, honoring both her mother's victory and her own love of music.

Unlike the veteran Smiths, this is Johnston's Symphony of Hope debut. She and her husband regularly sing at Oakmont Baptist Church, but upon hearing last year's performance, she was determined to get involved.

"It was so beautiful and so moving," she reminisced.

Her own diagnosis was only a fraction of Johnston's brush with cancer. She lost her mother to a brain tumor in 2005, and a brother to lung cancer in 2005. The concert, she says, is also for them.

"I'm singing to honor my mom and brother, and I'm singing for myself," she said. "I hope I won't cry too much."

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the free concert, starting at 8 p.m. Friday, at Faith and Victory Church, 3950 Victory Lane, Winterville. Donations will be accepted in the lobby.

If you Go!

What: Fifth annual Symphony of Hope

When: 8 p.m. Friday

Where: Faith and Victory Church, 3950 Victory Lane, Winterville

Admission: Free, but donations will be accepted to benefit the American Cancer Society and the Leo W. Jenkins Cancer Center

Web site: www.symphonyofhope.com

Kathryn Kennedy can be reached at kkennedy@coxnc.com or 329-9566.