Tragic news came to a 21-year-old singer before she even got her career started. Young singer-songwriter Suede Avery Sanders was diagnosed with alveolar soft part sarcoma. According to the National Cancer Institute, it’s an extremely rare cancer that stems from a person’s tissue. It can come from muscle, fat, or nerves alike, developing into a painless lump on the body. Typically, it starts in benign places like the legs in adults before eventually spreading to the lungs.
KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco reported that this news hit her only a day before she released her very first song, “Go Bravely”. Suede Avery Sanders wrote the record as an assignment at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music. The song was penned a year and a half ago to her middle school self to be brave and courageous. “I decided to flip it and kind of pull from, what do I think that my middle school self would tell me, to help tap into that confidence and childlike joy that I felt like I was missing,” she told the outlet.
Now, with her diagnosis, Sanders admitted that her lyrics take on a different connotation. “I was in my MRI and just like singing my song at myself, like over and over, trying to just keep my mind away from fear and take my own advice,” Sanders said.
21-Year-Old Suede Avery Sanders Diagnosed With Cancer Before Releasing Her First Song
Despite the devastating news, Sanders did what any artist does: use it for inspiration. “She was hooked into her headphones. Had her microphone out, she was getting the bits down, she had written some lyrics,” her mom Sarah Young recalled. “It’s sort of amazing. She definitely is an artist, and she uses it to deal with everything that’s going on.”
The great part is that the cancer diagnosis isn’t a death sentence for Suede Avery Sanders. In fact, according to Young, the doctors feel like they can remove the cancer as if it never existed. “They feel pretty confident that they can remove it and then radiate for any last remaining cells,” the mom continued. “She can then get back on the immunotherapy once she’s recovered from surgery and you know, hopefully just beat this thing back to non-existence.”
In the meantime, Suede Avery Sanders is going to continue making music. It’s her primary drive to keep her going amidst the upcoming treatments she’ll need to take. “I’ve always kind of used music as an outlet for healing,” Sanders said. “I think this whole situation, while it’s been crazy, and I wouldn’t wish it upon myself necessarily, but I think it’s really made me a lot more intentional right now. And just bring that fire back into who I am honestly, and why I want to do this.”
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