Cancer Songs

This week, Radiant Racheli posted a video called "Songs That Got Me Through Cancer." She mentions some good, inspiring songs.

I am very much in favor of a good Cancer Song (or a whole playlist of them). Music has played an important role in my life for a long time. I have songs that pump me yup and inspire me, songs that just make me happy, songs that get me thinking. My kids are all musicians (and I wish I could say the same about myself). If you way back into the archives of the blog, you'll find lots of videos of my kids playing, and maybe even a pic of me with my guitar.

I abandoned the guitar long ago, unfortunately, but music is still very important to me.

Last April, I attended the HealthEVoices conference with a bunch of other online health advocates. One of the exercises we did was to get into groups and create an album or CD of inspiring songs. We made playlists and designed a CD cover. It was interesting to see how much overlap there was. The advocates represented so many different illnesses and conditions, but there were still songs that inspired many -- like Rachel Platten's "Fight Song" (a favorite of Radiant Racheli's). Some of the older folks chose Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive."

I'm sure you can see a theme. We pick songs that pump us up and remind us to keep moving forward.

(Though, for the record, I am a big fan of sad songs. I don't enjoy being sad. But For me, personally, sometimes I enjoy feeling that deep emotion every now and then. And I really admire musicians who can move me to tears with words and sounds. I'm a softy that way. If you're a Hamilton fan, you can imagine what a song like "Quiet Uptown" does to me.)

But for an inspirational, moving-forward song? My choice is "Swim" by the band Jack's Mannequin.

Their lead singer, Andrew McMahon was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia just before the band's debut album was released in 2005. He eventually received a stem cell transplant and has been in remission since.

He wrote "Swim" after his experience. It's about moving forward, even in difficult times.


I love this song. The opening lyrics:

"You've gotta swim, swim for your life
Swim for the music that saves you
When you're not so sure you'll survive."

I think that "music that saves you" is probably for himself -- creating music gave him something to hang on to and stay inspired.

But I love that line because so many of us use music in this way, too -- as a source of inspiration -- even if we didn't write it ourselves.

I hope you all have your own Cancer Song. And if not a song, then a quote or a phrase -- something that keeps you moving forward.