How Singer Kicked Cancer’s Butt with Music
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iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Like most young, aspiring musicians, Harry Hudson is constantly pushing himself to new heights. When the 20-year-old decided to pursue his dreams, he never imagined just how hard he would have to push.
Just weeks after releasing his first single, “World Is Gone,” Hudson was diagnosed with late-stage-three Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a cancer of the blood and lymph nodes. His diagnosis came the very same day he had officially signed with a record label.
“I met the whole label and I was really excited about it, and that night I didn’t feel well and we rushed to the hospital and they diagnosed it,” Hudson told ABC News’ Good Morning America of the grapefruit-sized tumor in his chest that was pressing on his airway. “It went from the best day of your life to the worst day of your life.”
Rather than letting the cancer get the best of him, he pushed through months of chemo treatment, remaining positive and focused on his music, all thanks to a bit of advice he received from a fellow cancer patient during his first round of chemo.
“Her name was Bonnie,” he explained. “She sat next to me and she had the chemo running through her veins and she knew I was scared. So she asked me, ‘What do you like to do?’ And I told her I like music.”
“What she told me next has always stuck with me,” Hudson continued. “She said, ‘Always learn to love the situation you’re in because you can’t run way from the situation you’re fighting.’”
At that moment, Hudson knew Bonnie’s advice was the perfect inspiration for his next single, “Learn 2 Love.”
“She inspired that,” he said. “She told me to learn to love the situation you’re dealt. Embrace them and don’t run away from the pain. I knew she was right. She was just the happiest person I’ve ever met.”
From then on, Hudson forced himself to get into the studio as much as possible, putting his music in front of his cancer.
“Even if it’s just for 10 minutes a day, I tried to get it in there as much as I could to have that influence,” he said. “This is what I want to do with my life. It was tough but I really think the music saved my life because it gave me something to look forward to.”
He must be right, because as of Jan. 9, Hudson’s doctors pronounced him cancer-free.
“It’s amazing,” said Hudson, who is proud he’s been able to influence other young cancer patients on social media as he publicly documented his entire journey. “There’s so many kids my age going through it and I’m blessed to have good people around me. I’m strong mentally and I wanted to be strong for them. That’s why I took to social media with it. I started getting letters from cancer patients all over the world. I was shocked because I was so inspired by these people, and they were inspired by me.”
Hudson just released a new music video for his song, “Learn 2 Love,” an inspiring song about his journey through cancer treatment. The single is available on iTunes and all of the proceeds will benefit the American Cancer Society Relay For Life movement.
“If I’m helping one person, I’ve done my job,” he explained. “If I helped save one life, that’s pretty incredible.”
Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio