How One of My Songs Helped a Young Girl Heal

You’ve probably heard the saying “Music Heals”, right? Well, I want to share with you something that recently touched my heart. The next paragraphs will tell you how Naem, an inspiring 27-year-old girl from Medellín, Colombia found the courage to fight for her voice by using one of my songs, and in turn taught me a lesson or two. I can feel my throat tightening already…

It was November of 2013. I was checking my social media sites when I came across a message on Twitter from a fan named Naem. She had requested that I send her the lyrics to my song “Jaded” which she had heard through the MTV novela Último Año. (Listen to the song HERE) I sent the lyrics her way and I also asked why she wanted them. What she replied caught me way off guard…

“I want to use this song for my voice rehabilitation sessions. Some time ago I was diagnosed with Cancer and have already undergone throat surgery. I lost 80% of my voice and my doctor asked me to find a song that I loved in order to use it for all my vocal and breathing exercises and eventually be able to speak without choking. I don’t sing and have never sung before. I am a graphic designer and currently studying fashion but I wanted to go into therapy with your song because it touched me and I really like it.”

Uhg! Big hands-in-chest moment there. Totally unexpected. Needless to say, my heart just burst, and all I wanted to do was hug Naem through cyberspace. I thought she would want the lyrics to record a video or to simply memorize them. I couldn’t believe that out of all the songs in the universe she could turn to, to help her during her therapy, she would have picked “Jaded”…one of my favorite songs that I’ve ever written. I don’t take these things lightly. I’m so glad I sent her the song lyrics. I replied to her email with some encouraging and heartfelt words, and I also asked her if I could publish her story on my blog. To that, Naem replied;

“Thank you for your kind words. I really feel blessed because I know God has done great things in my life and now it’s a waiting game to see when, little by little, I can get my voice back. I know that with the support of God, your song, my family and lots of discipline I’m going to be able to overcome this soon.
It surprises me that you would want to share my story because after my diagnosis almost 4 years ago I thought it would be nice to use my experience as a means to heal others. I know these things don’t just happen. There’s reason behind all of this and if through you, others will be able to learn something about this, then go ahead! Share it! I’m all for it.”

I admire Naem. She is strong, determined, bold, smart, and filled with positivity. I can feel a real sense of peace through her words. This goes to show that we shouldn’t complain about the trivial things in life. We have to cherish every breath we take. We also have to be grateful for every low moment, because every one of those is a life lesson. Sometimes we can identify those lessons right away, and sometimes it takes us a little longer to decipher. Regardless of how long it takes, that negative energy will eventually transform into something less painful…but only once we welcome gratitude & understanding into our lives, and free ourselves from those ever-turning wheels in our minds. I believe that healing comes from the heart and soul, not the brain.

A few days ago I asked Naem if she had any updates. I was happy to hear back from her. This is what she said;

“The evolution of my voice has been very impressive. I almost have my full voice back! It’s not the same as it used to be and I’m still not used to listening to myself but I can talk very well. Now, all I need is a little more patience because sometimes I force my voice too much and I end up hurting it. However, little by little, I’ll be able to control it.
My current challenge is to not have others going through this to get unmotivated and lose all faith. I just learned that a really good friend of mine is also going through the same thing. I was able to speak to her and I felt like she is more hopeful and energized. These situations are only useful if we pay it forward. I feel blessed and privileged.”

Naem, I feel blessed and privileged to have shared my song with you, and to have exchanged emails with you. My song may have helped you heal, but what you don’t know is that your request helped me reconnect with that which is innate in me. You’ve taken part in rekindeling my relationship with music and my voice. You may have lost your voice and worked hard to get it back, but at the same time, how wrong is it to have a voice and lock it up in a deep place and not let it out?  That’s what I did for a long time. Naem, YOU gave ME my voice back. You, a complete stranger, helped me realize that I must never stop singing. You have no idea how thankful I am for that. Thank you for helping me find that again. If this is not a sign from God, then I don’t know what is.

I hope that when you finish reading this, you feel blessed, and hopefully inspired to share this story with friends, family or social media. If you want to hear the song “Jaded” you can do so in the video below. You can also leave a comment or get in touch with me through social media if you want to reflect on this post.

Thank you so much for reading! I really appreciate your kind love and support!

To read another personal story on how social media has connected me with fans, click HERE. How one of my songs helped a young girl heal.