Kids Rock Cancer music therapist Ashley Warmbrodt first met rock star Maranda and her tight-knit family in late 2016.
Maranda, then a soft-spoken 5 year old, had just been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer and, medically, things were looking grim. But her family never lost hope.
“The Wilborns are a faithful family,” Ashley writes. “The Wilborn 5, as they call themselves, turned to their faith, like they always do and their prayers were answered — quickly!”
Just one month into Maranda’s treatment, the doctors could find no sign of cancer.
“Doctors were amazed, and they are calling it a miracle,” Ashley writes, adding that Maranda’s doctors have canceled a planned surgery and will treat her instead with a year of chemotherapy to make sure the cancer doesn’t return.
The Wilborns are also a musical family; Maranda, her siblings and their parents all worked together to write and sing their first song, “Jesus Heals,” celebrating how Jesus helped save Maranda’s life when she stopped breathing once as a baby. Listen to The Wilborn 5’s first song, “Jesus Heals,” here.
Ashley describes writing a second song, “He Healed Me,” with the family: “While I waited for the nurses to finish up with Maranda, she and her parents were inside their room, already writing and using their natural vocal talent to come up with a melody. I came up with accompaniment on the guitar that matched their ideas, and asked questions to make sure that the song was exactly as Maranda wanted it. The end result is a beautiful and organic expression of the Wilborns’ gratitude toward Jesus.”