There are a lot of people that don't know this about me, and simply think that I do MHU because I love music and want to help others. I do love music and I do want to help others, but there is more to the story.
When I was nine years old, my head started to hurt pretty much every day. My stomach began to not feel well often and I never wanted to eat a whole lot. We knew something was up, and on the first day of fourth grade instead of going to school, we went to get an MRI done. They told us to go to All Children's Hospital for more testing and that is where they confirmed that I had a brain tumor on the top of my pituitary gland.
I went through a lot of surgeries and chemotherapy and it was definitely a long haul. It was a difficult battle for me and my family but we all got through and tried to stay positive. I always had something I was working on. I was doing origami for my nurses or playing Mario cart on my DS, I was playing the piano or learning magic tricks from my youth pastor. I had lots of fun and positive distractions, and I feel like that is so important when you go through cancer. Not only did I have lots of distractions, I had a team of loving family members and friends there by my side. Like when my Aunt Gina gave me a massive box of gifts to open and told me to open one gift every time I had to go to chemo, or when my parents would set up a room for me to relax in during roughWednesday nights after going to chemo. It would have some treats like mini M&M's, Ranger Rick magazines, and a tv remote along with cozy blankets to get comfy in. What I am saying is, is that my entire cancer experience would have been so challenging if I didn't have amazing people showing me love, or if I didn't get introduced to so many fun hobbies to fill up my days.
So that is why I started Music Heals Us. I believe in the mission of paying it forward. Giving love to someone who's going through hard times, because that's what we would all want if we were experiencing something as challenging as cancer. I had all the help in the world and now it is my turn to do that for others.
So I decided to combine providing support for kids going through cancer and giving them a hobby that they can distract themselves with. Playing an instrument is a great way to take you to another place and to another world. It is a way to make you smile and feel like you are accomplishing something.
As I've said, this marks 7 years of being cancer free for me. Thank you to all my doctors and nurses who helped me through this. Thank you to my parents, my sister, and my extended family and friends for holding my hand. Thank you to my church and to God for giving me so much emotional support. Lastly, thank you to everyone who has helped me with this mission.
Please share this if you would like your family and friends to know about my charity, Music Heals Us. Or share to help me find kids to provide ukuleles for. Let's make MHU go viral.
