Never Give Up: A Playlist on Strength, Courage, and Bravery

From the ICA vault.

Four months ago my best friend was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer. This came as a shock given that she is the picture of perfect health. As she mentally prepared herself for the challenges to come over the remainder of the year, I searched for ways to help. I set up a mealtrain, making sure she didn’t have to lift a finger the days after treatment. I sent Etsy links of cute chemo caps, and lent all my favorite scarves to ensure she has a head wrap that matched any outfit. I’ve accompanied her to chemo sessions and blood transfusions. And while I know these things were helpful and she was beyond grateful, it still didn’t feel like enough.

I struggled with what to say—always wanting to be positive but knowing that, well, let’s be honest, the situation royally sucked. I needed to find a way to express the flood of emotions I was feeling, and I knew she was feeling, too. So I did what I do best and found my voice in music. That night I spent 5 hours working on a cancer playlist, staying up way past my bedtime, and titled it, “I’m so hot, I’m radioactive.” Luckily, my girl has a sense of humor and could appreciate the double entendres I stuffed into this dedication of love, strength, courage, and inspiration. 

Songs on this playlist range from powerful and inspirational as expected (“Fight Song” by Rachel Platten), to sad (“Fix You” by Coldplay), to truthful and poignant (“This Year” by the Mountain Goats). It’s also loaded with lots of tongue-in-cheek references (“None of Your Business” by Salt-N-Pepa, “Scream & Shout” by will.i.am and Britney Spears, and “Five More Hours” (of chemo) by Deorro and Chris Brown) because let’s face it, sometimes laughter is truly the best medicine. 

With breast cancer awareness month right around the corner, we thought it was a perfect time to share these songs with you, so you can tailor your own support ride for those students fighting battles of their own. Maybe even it pair it with this inspirational pep talk from Kid President. And remember, “Fight cancer. Like a BOSS!”

Spotify: Never Give Up

We’d love to know what songs you’ve used for your inspirational rides. Feel free to comment and we’ll make sure to add them to the list!