15 Songs for a Cancer Journey

“Music is an extraordinary feature of the human species. It unites us and conveys feeling when words fail.”

— Elizabeth Margulis, PhD, as quoted by the American Psychological Association

Life presents moments that are seemingly impossible to put into words, until the right song strikes a chord. Receiving a cancer diagnosis was one of those moments for me. The music I’ve listened to throughout my cancer journey has helped me confront challenging feelings, navigate my faith, grieve the life that could have been, cope with my new reality, and most of all revisit memories.

I feel immersed, as if I’m drowning, in memories from my cancer journey when I listen to certain songs. On my way up for air as the song plays, I seem to move through emotions and relive experiences, processing everything I’ve been through. It seems like there may be science behind this feeling.

Recently, researchers have been exploring how music evokes different types of autobiographical memories for patients with dementia, and the results show that the connection between music and memories is real (Weir, 2026). This leaves me wondering how powerful music is for every human being, whether or not they’re living with dementia. And how could music help patients with cancer process emotions?

I’ve realized there is a soundtrack to my cancer journey and each song allows me to access memories and emotions from pivotal moments. This playlist includes the 15 songs I turned to the most to move through different stages of my battle with acute myeloid leukemia.

Songs After a Cancer Diagnosis

Yet (don’t give up) by the King will come

My faith was solidified within the walls of a sterile and frigid hospital room. This song lifted me up with its melody and carried me step by step closer to God. Lacking words of my own, the lyrics said what my heart was bleeding out. With tears streaming down my face, I’d clutch the thin blanket that wrapped me up and hang onto every word floating through the air.

Calming Instrumental Music

Breathing exercises and clearing my mind were pivotal when the night fell and sleep was seemingly impossible. In the early days, I was afraid I wouldn’t wake up if I fell asleep. Negative thoughts lurked in the dark corners of my room and mind. Void of words, the air streamed, swirled, and whirred with the sounds of violins, cellos, and pianos to lull me into a calm. I’d relish my ability to take deep breaths, look at pictures of my family, and see a friend sleeping in the hospital with me. Sleep was a stranger, but calm was a dear friend that came with soothing instruments and left behind words that could spur unwelcome thoughts.

Hard Fought Hallelujah by Brandon Lake

The fight against cancer feels incredibly contradictory. I wanted to roll up my sleeves and physically fight cancer with my bare hands. I’d strangle it while screaming, I was certain. It’s still a dream I have on hard days.

The deep vocals that shake with passion rattled my anger awake. It allowed me to feel like I was fighting in my head and heart against this unfathomable disease. Tears of anger would escape me and I’d clench my fists with all of my might while lying in the hospital bed. By the end of the song, I was left feeling lighter as if I expelled cancer cells from my body on my own.

The Detour by FAITHFUL, Savannah Locke,

Cancer is not something one envisions for themselves or their loved ones, but unfortunately it happens. This song wraps me in comfort and infuses me with hope and faith that this unexpected journey is simply a detour. I appreciate that this song focuses on accepting what has happened, while acknowledging doubt, brokenheartedness, and broken dreams are experienced. The lyrics taught me how to give grace to myself early in my relapse journey. The lyrics seem to reinforce that it’s okay to be very human with emotions ranging from sadness to excitement, but that hope is safe to have even when the road is long. Trust is a very unapproachable word after your own body betrays itself, yet the lyrics and melody make it a warm thought once again.

Songs for Fighting Cancer

Bring On The Rain by Jo Dee Messina and Tim McGraw

A slow, heart-wrenching ‘90s country song struck me with a deeper meaning after accepting my cancer diagnosis. I felt as though I was digging my heels into the sand to fight for my life, and this song gave me power. With each listen, I am reassured that tomorrow is another day, that I can power over the hurdles, and that I am in control of my mindset. I was determined to remember that my body is strong, that I am able, and that I am going to get through the cancer journey no matter how daunting it may be. I welcomed the journey with this song. Without the journey, I would not be able to reach the finish line that is life after cancer. So, bring on the rain. I can handle it.

TESTIFY by NEEDTOBREATHE

After accepting my diagnosis and rediscovering the faith that still lived in me, Testify seemed to be waiting for me. This song enveloped me in safety and allowed me to give my entire heart to the fight and begin to learn how to trust God. The fight and trust did not come naturally, but they came with practice. I’d put my chin up while lying in a stiff hospital bed, allowing painful procedures to happen while I was awake. With each breath, I’d talk to God and the angels I believe are looking over me. Through those conversations, I pieced together a puzzle of trust in a tumultuous time of uncertainty.

Because of this song, I began to daydream of what my testimony would sound like, though I know what it would feel like: letting go and being weightless, like kids dancing on the moon, just as Bear Rinehart of NEEDTOBREATHE sings.

Millionaire by Chris Stapleton

Chris Stapleton speaks to the depths of my bruised soul when he opens with “They say love is more precious than gold.” While my blood was 95% cancer, I was completely covered in love from family, friends, and neighbors. I felt like the richest person in the world as I started chemotherapy and shuffled around the halls of a blood and marrow transplant unit in a nationally recognized cancer institution. My phone filled with messages of love as I spoke to oncologists, infectious disease doctors, physician assistants, and countless nurses. Every heavy piece of news landed in a soft place because of the seemingly endless love, the way Chris Stapleton’s confessions landed in the smooth strum of his guitar.

Crowded Table by The Highwomen (Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris, Amanda Shires)

The Highwomen served bittersweet irony and hope entangled on a silver platter as I grieved not being able to open my home to family for Thanksgiving. It was the first holiday I would have hosted and the one I had been dreaming of as a new homeowner. The menu was set, the timeline was created, and then my diagnosis arrived just 24 days before the holiday. Instead of ironing linens and peeling potatoes, I watched infusions drip into a PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter) line.

The line “Bring us back together when the day is done” pulled on my heartstrings and I began to realize why the song spoke to me. I found hope in these lyrics. I could envision a future where we would gather after the season of illness was over, rather than just on Thanksgiving Day. This song brought me comfort similar to that of a crowded table and gave newfound hope for future celebrations. The Highwomen instilled hope for a future filled with many gatherings where chairs may be tight, shoulders may touch, but the warmth of the atmosphere and company would fill all of our cups.

Better Days by Dermot Kennedy

This song felt like a persistent promise of a beautiful future, without glossing over how hard the fight was. Feeling as though Dermot Kennedy was giving me permission, his words left me feeling vindicated that I was not dramatizing the experience and that my experience could exist in a reality where better times were still possible. The raspy cry from Dermot Kennedy made me feel seen and opened a reservoir of energy that I didn’t realize I still had in me. I’d listen to this song loudly to immerse myself in validation and visualization of sunny days outside of the hospital walls after I moved through storms of medical complications, tests, and monitoring. This song helped me understand that suffering through my cancer journey was not the end of my story, just a dark chapter.

Songs to Celebrate Milestones and Beating Cancer

Bilateral Stimulation Sound Healing

As I work through my cancer experience in therapy, I’ve learned the power of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and bilateral stimulation through music. Researchers have found that rhythmic bilateral input may support communication between the left and right hemispheres of the brain and promote nervous system regulation (American Psychological Association, 2017). I’ve found this to be true, so I lean into it as I continue my healing journey and enter new phases of survivorship.

Anxiety looms as I progress further from the date I was told I am cancer-free, so I keep bilateral stimulation music in my back pocket. It serves as a reliable tool to regulate my emotions, practice visualization, calm my nervous system, and fight insomnia. While not a replacement for therapy, it supports my emotional regulation because any type of big news about my health tends to rattle me now.

In Color by Jamey Johnson

Like a dagger to the heart, this song reminds me of a revealing EMDR therapy session. “In Color” pushes me into memories of the hardest cancer-fighting days. As he sings “if it looks like we were scared to death, like a couple of kids just trying to save each other, you should’ve seen it in color,” I am trembling on the edge of the bed, leaning into my husband’s arms as he reassures me that I “don’t deserve this.” The reflections in the song are lost on me as I continue to look back on an ambulance ride with my husband and my new diagnosis, being contained in a sterile room miles away from my baby, being poked a million times for vials of blood, getting biopsies, and seeing my body wither away. On repeat, I relive these memories with a fresh perspective and understand each moment was a step toward a cure. The pain releases in the form of tears to this day, but I am still here and holding my husband’s hand through it all.

Back In My Body by Maggie Rogers

Maggie Rogers awakens me to face the beast that is cancer every time this song plays. This song seems to move through me, urging me to reclaim my body, and I cannot resist. A fire ignites in me as the drum beats. I feel my fists tighten as the first two verses build with chant-like lyrics, empowering me to tell cancer, “This time I know I’m fighting, I’m back in my body.” It feels like an acknowledgment that I may have been pushed down, but I have always gotten back up. I will continue to march forward along the road of survivorship, get to know myself again, love myself, and rejoice in remission.

Opalite by Taylor Swift

With Taylor Swift tied for the third-most No. 1 hits in Billboard history, “Opalite” infuses me with optimism and allows me to celebrate the fight for my life, rather than only focusing on reaching the 5-year survival milestone. The lyric “dancing through the lightning strikes” struck a chord with me immediately and I fell into the verses, chorus, and bridge like Alice falling into Wonderland. While Taylor Swift was not talking about a cancer journey, her lyrics invite you to dance with them and feel like you can try them on for size. It’s no wonder that Taylor Swift is the youngest member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. I feel the onyx night skies clear of the hardest days every time this song comes on. There is something so raw and real about creating happiness and opportunity through a cancer journey, which has led this song to become my anthem.

Lease on Life by Andy Grammer

A voice of optimism, Andy Grammer strings together lyrics that ring more true to my cancer treatment plan than any other song. There is hope melodically woven in every lyric. The song reminds me that a new lease on life doesn't mean returning to life as it was before diagnosis. I may be changed by the fight, but I will come back from it. The bone marrow transplant made possible by my sister’s donation prevented me from reaching the end of my life and helped me find my faith. The odds of being a genetic match with my sister were not on my side, yet an answered prayer came in a 10-out-of-10 match. I was infused with faith in my healthcare team, the treatment plan, cancer research, and God. Having one another was always something incredibly important to me, but I could have never fathomed that my sister would save my life in my fight against a rare blood cancer.

“Lease on Life” gained even more meaning after I relapsed and was a genetic match with a complete stranger. My sister’s act of kindness gave me life and faith, and the stranger’s kindness gave even more depth to what it means to live and help others.

Oh, What A World by Kacey Musgraves

Brutal honesty hauntingly breaks my heart open as the song starts. A confession of “Oh, what a world, I don’t want to leave” reminds me that I was facing the threat of leaving not too long ago. The light melody helps the heavy thoughts swirl around, forming a starry appreciation, rather than weighing me down. Kacey repeatedly sings about how magical this world is, impressing upon me that there is more goodness around me even though I’ve almost had to face leaving already. Then, pulling at the heartstrings that bring tears to my eyes, she narrows in on how there is someone on this planet with me. I immediately think of my husband. All of the beautiful happenings on Earth become an almost unbelievable miracle, despite times of darkness. I end the song with a long exhale and a lucky feeling that I get to be here at all.

Music to Process Emotions from My Cancer Journey

The words of a diagnosis slipped through the lips of a medical professional and struck my ears like a gong. There was no escape. So, I sought solace. It was found in family, friends, blankets, books, crafts, messages, and phone calls, but music provided a therapeutic experience I desperately needed. My well-being depended on it in some of the lowest moments, and it is now a tool I use to heal from the trauma I experienced. The meanings of these 15 songs have been forever changed for me, and I am thankful for how they have each carried me through in their own ways.

References

Weir, K. (2026). The science of music. Monitor on Psychology, 57(3). https://www.apa.org/monitor/2026/03/science-of-music

American Psychological Association. (2017). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/treatments/eye-movement-reprocessing