I haven’t seen my 60 year old mezzo student for more than a year. She’s been studying online, and wanted to return to the studio, but I said: “Not yet.”

My student has not only been studying voice online, she’s been working online too. Then her company called her into the City. Apprehensive about returning, she took a bus (she lives north of the City) downtown and spent the day with vaccinated colleagues (yes, she is vaccinated). Four days later she was sick, then felt better after a few days. That’s when I saw her for a lesson, during which time she suddenly felt tired and described feeling pain in a shoulder and her lower abdomen. Alarmed, I said: “Go to the hospital!” Thinking she would feel better if she waited, she went the next morning. But they sent her home. Then she called her cardiologist. He told her to turn around and go back.

It turned out a huge blood clot had formed in her leg and traveled to her heart. She’d had a heart attack, but in a miraculous turn of events, experienced no heart damage. There were also clots in the lungs. They gave her a spirometer to exercise her lungs and break up the clots. She told her doctor that using it felt identical to the 18-second Lamperti breath her voice teacher taught her.

[What is Lamperti’s 18-second breath? It’s simple. Close your mouth and inhale gently and slowly for up to 18 seconds. Start with 8 or 10 seconds and add as you are comfortable, never forcing or straining.]

She thanks me for saving her life. I tell her the cardiologist gets that distinction. But the whole thing makes me wonder. Did Lamperti’s 18-second breath play a role? Her doctors told her she’s a rare case. [They also told her the blood clots were not caused by the vaccine.] One of two things usually happens to Covid patients with significant blood clots. They either die or experience heart damage.

There’s also this…

My student had stopped using an inhaler for asthma after practicing Lamperti’s 18-second breath. When she went back to work for that one day, she found it in her desk drawer. Now she’s back online as is everyone else in her office.

We’re still waiting to return to the studio.

For more on the teaching of Francesco Lamperti click here. For the original post on Lamperti’s 18-second breath click here.