The country music singer had been working 16- to 18-hour days while running an internet marketing consultancy when he fell ill with what he thought was a cold.

"Music had been more of a pastime for me. It was something I wanted to put more time into but I never got the chance," he said.

"But I got this 'cold', and it stuck around.

"I had a few courses of antibiotics and eventually they worked out that I actually had leukaemia."

He was admitted to Newcastle's Calvary Mater Hospital that day.

"Two days later, I was having high-intensity chemo," he said.

Mr Price was given three weeks to live.

"It shook me up but being the eternal optimist, I thought, 'I'm going to beat this thing'," he said.

During treatment, he lost 40 kilograms, as well as 80 per cent of his eyesight for three months.

"Most people only get one or two side effects, I seemed to get them all," he said.

"I lost not only my hair but my eyesight, my skin on my hands and feet, my fingernails and toenails.

"At one stage, I had several infections on top of one another and the doctors didn't know what they were."

When he got through the treatment, he decided from that moment, he only wanted to do something that would bring him - and others - joy.

"I concentrated on my music and started doing some little shows for seniors," he said. "They're in these homes and sometimes people don't come and visit them and they're left there in God's waiting room."

He recently initiated a sponsorship program called Adopt-A-Singer.

"At the time, I was doing 15 to 20 shows a month for nothing and I got to the point where I thought, I'd love to do this full-time, around my other shows," Mr Price said. "I thought I'd create a little program so the community can support their community, support our seniors. I just think it's great to be able to give back.

"There is plenty of entertainment for the kids but the older seniors aren't getting as much attention. Now I'm in a position to do something for them and bring them some joy.

"As well as country music, I love the old crooning songs by evergreens like Frank Sinatra and Engelbert Humperdinck. I really enjoy going to the nursing homes and singing those old songs that bring back some memories for them."

Via AdoptASinger.com.au, sponsors can donate one show a month, two, or a whole year's worth of nursing-home performances.

"Once I get to capacity - because I'm doing close to 30 or 40 shows a month now myself - I'll start bringing other Christian singers out and placing them and giving them an opportunity to do this as well."

Mr Price has already attracted community support.

"Stockton RSL is going to become a major sponsor," he said. "It's nice they've gotten behind me with this.

"They're going to bring the seniors down from the nearby nursing home to have lunch, and I'll be there to entertain them."

Mr Price also gives a portion from his weekend gigs to the haematology ward at the Calvary Mater.