I have been singing for as long as I can remember. Because I cried constantly as a baby, my mother tells me she brought me to a doctor, who reassured her that I was just a “vocal child.” He even said that my lungs were developing so well I’d probably end up an opera singer.

I didn’t quite end up performing Wagner, but I’ve gone in many directions with my music through the years. I’ve been involved in musical theater since I was 6. In my regular public performances since then, I play an acoustic guitar and sing light rock, blues, a little bit of country and some ballads. I started playing guitar when I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia at age 34. I taught myself to play to keep my fingers from stiffening up, as one of the best treatments is to keep moving.

I have published four albums — three rock-funk albums with my former band, Inside Pocket, and one solo album, “Cat Music,” which is acoustic rock with some blues and light jazz overtones.

When I first started playing in public, my band did the club circuit in the Boston area, branching out into Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Vermont. I have also played in Canada, New Zealand, and Taiwan. These days, I keep it to the local hotels, clubs, and restaurants on the Massachusetts South Shore, as my main focus during the week is serving as the clinical manager at Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston (OCB).

On stage and backstage

I’ve had plenty of other creative outlets in my life, as well. I grew up in a very artistic family, and we had a studio in our house where my mother used to teach ballet. By the time I was 10 years old, I ended up in a dance company out of Boston and danced in productions like “The Nutcracker,” “Sleeping Beauty,” and “Swan Lake.” My mother even taught me to help design theater sets and props. Martial arts, particularly Tai Chi Chuan, have also been an outlet for me. I’ve studied them for years, and in 2016 I took home a gold medal at the Tai Chi Chuan world championships in Taipei.

A path to ophthalmology

My path to OCB started when I was a middle school science teacher. At the time, I was looking for a career change due to some uninspiring curriculum changes that encouraged “teaching to the test.”

By chance, I overhead two people asking how they could find a photographer with a science background. Since I took wedding pictures as a side job, I quickly introduced myself to the two strangers. About a week later, I was shadowing an angiographer at a retina practice. Ten years later, I applied to OCB and I’m now in my seventh year at that practice. OP