Songs of Love for the Heart
“When words fail, music speaks.”
Once said by Hans Christian Andersen, best remembered for his fairy tales like The Little Mermaid and The Snow Queen that inspired Frozen, this renown Danish writer understood the importance of music.
With any serious child illness, there are times when words fail us. CCHD was asked to try out a product that steps in for your child in these moments. It’s called Songs of Love, a nonprofit foundation dedicated to providing personalized uplifting songs, free of charge, for children and teens currently facing tough medical, physical or emotional challenges. At this early stage in our 3 year old daughter’s journey with CHD, we want to instill the fact that her scar from open heart surgery is something to be celebrated. It is a beautiful reminder that she is with us, happy and healthy. So we requested a song for her.
The process was very simple. We went online and filled out the form. We waited five weeks and received an email that it was complete and on it’s way in the mail (and to note, I appreciated that they realize to a young child, physically receiving this gift gives it greater anticipation and awe versus opening an email, though you can request a digital file be sent). And then we waited.
As my husband and I are both lifelong musicians, we weren’t expecting the next masterpiece or top 40 song, but we also weren’t expecting her reaction when we played her personalized song. When filling out the form, I had put in more than enough special interests, hobbies and favorite things to give the musician something to work with, and I also was very specific in that she loves a heavy beat she can dance to, pop or rock, noting that she really loved the song Immortals (which we discovered while watching Disney’s Big Hero 6). So when we popped the CD in and it began to play, we just had to smile at the instant burst of excitement and energy as she twirled, danced and bopped around for her entire 3 minute song. And then we knew we would be singing it for weeks, when she told us to replay it three more times in a row.
Words sometimes fail us, especially in trying to explain to young children about a complex condition, and in our case, how to embrace a lifelong journey with CHD full of the unknowns that await. Songs of Love is a fun resource that CCHD members find fitting for younger children. While we cannot fully explain to our daughter just how miraculous her repaired heart is, and how her scar is a beautiful reminder of that, Songs of Love helps her understand this in a small way as someone wrote a special song, just for her, in celebration of her heart.
To request a free, personalized song and for more information, visit Songs of Love.
Frances volunteers as the blog coordinator for CCHD. She graduated from USC and previously worked in film, marketing, and software consulting. Frances resides in California with her husband and daughter – who was born with severe mitral valve prolapse and a VSD and underwent open heart surgery at 8 months old.
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