The New Year is heralding in many new opportunities for the Ryan Sisters.
The local singing duo are launching their latest single this weekend and will be featured in an Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) program that airs next week.
The sisters have brought their brand of motivational music to audiences across Canada for many years. Following a Moncton performance in 2011, Jack Canfield, originator of the 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' book series, told the women "they" were chicken soup for "his" soul.
"That was just so cool," recalled Halifax resident Lauretta Ryan.
"Anything is possible if you believe ... We want to share our experiences with people."
Those experiences include, for Lauretta, a brush with death in 1995. Stricken with the autoimmune disorder Guillain-Barre Syndrome and completely paralyzed, the series of events that led to her complete and rapid recovery caused her doctor to dub her ‘miracle child.'
That experience forever changed Lauretta, and her story reached the ears of VisionTV producers who asked her to host an episode about miracles for their Supernatural Investigators television series.
That episode aired last month, and can be viewed online at http://www.visiontv.ca/videos/supernatural-investigator-304-modern-day-miracles/ .
Lauretta and her sister Maria of Bedford will both appear in an upcoming new documentary film series called ‘Life Story Project' airing on Oprah's OWN network here in Canada on Feb. 6.
Maria was surfing the OWN website last May when she stumbled upon mention of the network's search for interesting stories. She and Lauretta submitted a video and heard back from the network one week later.
Their part in the show will focus on their even deeper bond that developed following Lauretta's illness and the motivational speaking and singing work they do together.
"People are drawn to it (our music) because people are looking for inspirational words that touch their hearts and souls, and that's what people tell us it does," Maria said.
On Feb. 3, the Ryan Sisters launch their latest single, ‘Forgiveness,' on Paul Kennedy's radio show on 105.9 Seaside FM between noon and 2 p.m.
Although they already have a five-song EP, they expect to release their first full album this spring. Their previously released songs will also be available on iTunes within the next two weeks.
"In five years, we truly see ourselves continuing to inspire others every chance we get, just on a bigger scale," Lauretta said.
"We'd love to do more TV shows and get our message out to a bigger audience, and we'd also love to continue making music with a very positive message, after all, there's truly no better gift you can give, than the gift of inspiration."
More information about the Ryan Sisters can be found at www.ryansisters.com .
ydentremont@hfxnews.ca
