Getting the Medicine of Music

"Hey Jaycee here's your very own song of love..."

When the song's opening comes through my van's speakers, my daughter gets very happy. She knows this is HER song. As it plays, she gestures, attempts to sing along, and dances to the catchy song that is all about her.

How did she get this song of her very own?

This song came from the Songs of Love Foundation, a group that provides free songs for children and teens facing medical, physical, or emotional challenges. Each song is unique for each child, with no song ever being duplicated.

We received this song on CD over a year ago, but it's still exciting for Jaycee to hear. Through our visit to Give Kids the World via Make-A-Wish, we learned about this foundation and decided this would be perfect for Jaycee.

To receive the song, I filled out a simple form describing Jaycee and her health conditions. It also asked for information that could possibly go in the song. I wondered what song would be created from Jaycee's nickname "Sissy" and her interests in swinging, swimming, Barney the Dinosaur, her cousin Gabby, and hugging.

After a short wait time, we received a CD with Jaycee's song that amazingly made all of her interests work together. It was so sweet! Here's a portion of the lyric sheet:

The foundation website says that they provide the medicine of music, and it's an accurate description. My daughter spends 40 minutes every day sitting through airway clearance and approximately 30 minutes on a nebulizer each day. You can easily double those times if she has any respiratory symptom or cold. She spends each night on a bi-pap machine, which is something she has needed since age 3. Jaycee has a very good and full life, but there are machines and medicines she must have daily to stay healthy. That is what makes organizations like Songs of Love so special because they are dedicated to reaching out to people like my daughter who miss out on many typical things due to accommodations needed for her diagnoses.

Prior to our wish experience, I had never heard of this charity. I'm guessing that many of you haven't heard about it either. They are always seeking kids who qualify to receive this free gift of music as well as donations to keep the songs going out to kids who need them.

For more information on this organization or to make a referral, please visit their website.