A CANCER survivor has released a single exploring how he coped during his diagnosis and gruelling treatment.

Ray Coates was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2008 after he found a lump on his neck while shaving.

He was quickly diagnosed and had four hour surgery followed by six weeks of radiotherapy. Following regular appointments he was given the all clear on September 13 last year.

The Aylesbury resident, who grew up in High Wycombe and went to school in Lane End and Stokenchurch, has now penned the song, The Voice Within, which is available to buy on Amazon and iTunes.

All money raised will go to Cancer Research UK.

Ray, 48, said: "It is my story of how I felt. Also it is kind of a dedication song of how other people might be feeling."

The driving instructor has written songs for more than 30 years but he has never released one before.

He said: "I have always written lyrics. That is what I have done for years but I couldn't write anything at all. I bottled a lot of things up, and then it was released in a song."

He had intensive radiotherapy for six weeks which left him without a voice for several months.

Ray, who has five children aged nine to 21, said: "The thing with cancer and cancer treatment- it is very physical. You deal with it physically.

"You are told to be here at this time and you are going to be asked to do this and then you can go. You just do it.

"The actual emotion of it catches up with you afterwards."

He said he felt isolated, frustrated and lost and he said he still does not feel the same as he did before he was diagnosed.

But added: "I would say, in a strange kind of way, I have exceeded where I was before because of the experience I have had.

"There are qualities I would like to think I have now, which I didn't before."

A music video has also been made- search on YouTube for "The Voice Within OFFICIAL VIDEO."

The song and video are produced by singer and songwriter Glyn Devey at Compass Studios.

Buy The Voice Within from: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/the-voice-within-single/id875761249 or www.amazon.co.uk/Voice-Within-Ray-Coates/dp/B00K8I8GAK/ref=sr_1_1?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1399731040&sr=1-1&keywords=Ray+Coates.