Cancer took my fathers life in 2007.I took my grief, processed it, and turned it into a song. (There is a blog post about it and a video of the rough draft here . )
The recorded version of the song found its way to Matthew Zachary, a talented and inspiring young man who fought and won a mighty battle with a brain tumor. Matthew is the founder of Stupid Cancer, I'm too Young for This ( i2y), a youth advocacy website who assists young adults, living with cancer. Stupid Cancer does endless good for young adults around the world, helping them shed their fears by giving them real tools, leads, and advice, as well as connecting them with resources and support. Stupid Cancer (i2y) has been awarded and named as a top charity website on the worldwide stage. (one of Time magazines top 50 websites in 2007)
The recorded version of the song found its way to Matthew Zachary, a talented and inspiring young man who fought and won a mighty battle with a brain tumor. Matthew is the founder of Stupid Cancer, I'm too Young for This ( i2y), a youth advocacy website who assists young adults, living with cancer. Stupid Cancer does endless good for young adults around the world, helping them shed their fears by giving them real tools, leads, and advice, as well as connecting them with resources and support. Stupid Cancer (i2y) has been awarded and named as a top charity website on the worldwide stage. (one of Time magazines top 50 websites in 2007)
One of the many, many things that Matthew does is he assembles musicians from around the world who are willing to donate a meaningful song to his cause, and he compiles these songs onto a single CD which is sold globally, through CD Baby. The proceeds, 100% of which, go to the support of youths with cancer. Volume 2, has just been released, and I am very proud to be a part of it.
This is an excerpt from the CD baby blurb.
I'm Too Young For This! Volume 2 features 20 original tracks composed by a brand new community of young adult recording artists who have been directly affected by cancer, either through their own personal diagnosis or that of a loved one. This album, in particular, is toned to specifically address the darker realities of cancer survival in the young adult population in that three of the musicians – Katie Reider, Jeannie Kauffmann and Michael Minton – are being recognized and memorialized posthumously.
I'm Too Young For This! Volume 2 features 20 original tracks composed by a brand new community of young adult recording artists who have been directly affected by cancer, either through their own personal diagnosis or that of a loved one. This album, in particular, is toned to specifically address the darker realities of cancer survival in the young adult population in that three of the musicians – Katie Reider, Jeannie Kauffmann and Michael Minton – are being recognized and memorialized posthumously.
Founded in 2007 by young adult survivors and for young adult survivors, the I'm Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation is a global leader in the fight against cancer working exclusively on behalf of survivors and their care providers under the age of 40. A TIME Magazine Best 50 Website for 2007, we have helped bring the cause of 'cancer under 40' to the national spotlight and rallied a brand new generation of activists to improve early detection, advocacy, research and support for this forgotten population.
"I wanted to create something radically different than other cancer benefit CDs," says Matthew Zachary, i[2]y Founder and young adult survivor. "Instead of simply slapping a pink ribbon on an existing compilation of songs by random pop artists, this project has deeper meaning and purpose as a practical educational tool that not only raises awareness for our mission but fulfills it simultaneously."
What a delicious and diverse album, there are artists from all around the world expressing a wide variety of music. Matthew, being an accomplished concert pianist himself, has excellent taste in music and an eye for quality, they are all recording artists in this bunch. I am honored to be included with these incredible people on this compilation. On the very first listen I thought, wow, I am part of this. Each song I heard impressed me in a new way.
Sometimes albums are criticised for having no theme, feel, or continuity in the music, and some would say that musically there is no real identity to define this CD because it is so diverse but in fact, I believe it is perfectly appropriate to have a collection such as this. I think the diversity of the music is reflective of how invasive cancer actually is in our society. It touches all of us, no matter who we are or what sort of rhythm we dance to, cancer affects us deeply as humans, and our humanity is the tie that binds.
And this is a beautiful CD.
I hope you will share this post with anyone and everyone, who might wish to support this very worthy cause! Just click the underlined words in my blog and you should be directed to the relevant websites, such as CD baby where you can purchase a CD online.
If you wish to know more, you can meet Matthew Zachary here:
You can also check out Rebecca Bollwitt's E! Online post on me if you missed it, the links there will also take you to Stupid Cancer!
To hear my song which is on "I'm too Young for This" CD you can go here:
http://rachaelchatoor.com/Showcase.html Credit to: Mick Dalla-Vee for instrumentations and arrangements, and to Millennia Sound Design for the production and recording. Thanks Mick, for taking my You Tube rough draft, and turning it into something I could send to Matthew for his project, you have been very helpful in my growth as a singer/songwriter. http://www.mickdallavee.com/I will leave you with this.....I am constantly amazed at how music can be used to connect people, share a message, build a community, bring a smile.
This is one of the reasons I choose to play/write music, its not just because it is good for my soul, but its good for everyone, the language of it is so universal. And it's for this moment right here, right now, where you sit at my blog reading about someone who is doing something wonderful for other people.
I hope it inspires you, moves you, touches you. This isn't a song to chase fame, it was written to be told in the village square, around the campfire, at the kitchen table.
Good for you Matthew Zachary, thanks for including me in this project, I am so glad my song found a home! I had an inkling of this when I wrote the song, a sense, lots of signs along the way, but the picture was not clear until recently. Thats how it seems to work. If I was ever asked to share a story of hopeful divine intervention, I could easily tell this story.
And with that, I will say this, hey Daddy, I love you, I miss you. Thank you for showing me the way. I am learning to swim in the deep end finally, keeping my head above water and everything.
xo Rachael.
