At Kids Rock Cancer, our participants feel like one big family — sometimes literally!
Music therapist Ashley Warmbrodt worked with Alissa when she was having some hard times adjusting to a new diagnosis. The eight-year-old travels to St. Louis often for treatment, and being away from her two brothers can be particularly tough.
Knowing how involved Alissa’s family is, and how special her bond with her brothers is, Alissa’s child-life specialist suggested Ashley work with CJ, 12, and Wyatt, 6, for a Kids Rock Cancer sibling session.
“When asked what they wanted the main idea of their song to be about, they replied, “A song to Alissa — she’s our superhero,” Ashley says. “CJ started singing how he wanted the song to sound, and the rest came pretty easily from there, with both boys singing along and actively wanting to write a song to make their sister feel better.”
Wyatt played ukulele and CJ played the drum during the recording session.
Adds Ashley: “They even asked to be video-recorded while we were writing the song, so that Alissa could watch them write her a song! How sweet!”