Calif. college senior Suede Avery Sanders received her diagnosis on July 16
Credit: Jackson Miles U’ren
NEED TO KNOW
- Suede Sanders was diagnosed with a rare cancer the day before she released her debut song “Go Bravely” on July 17
- The song, written as part of a college course, has become a source of strength during her cancer diagnosis and treatment
- Sanders, 21, who goes by “Suede Avery” on social media and Spotify, is undergoing immunotherapy and preparing for surgery while using music to cope and stay positive
An aspiring singer from California discovered she had cancer the day before releasing her debut song.
Suede Avery Sanders, a senior at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, was diagnosed with the rare cancer alveolar soft part sarcoma the day before her song “Go Bravely” was due to go live on July 17, KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco reported.
The 21-year-old singer-songwriter from Oakland wrote the song to her middle school self as part of a college course 18 months ago, but never imagined she’d be using her own lyrics as a form of support during a cancer journey.
“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 told KTVU.
Credit: Jackson Miles U’ren
Alveolar soft part sarcoma is an extremely rare cancer that comes from different types of soft tissue, such as muscle, fat, or nerves, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Per a post on her Instagram, Sanders says she was diagnosed with the cancer in her leg and got the call about her diagnosis as her mom was helping her move into her new apartment in Los Angeles. She then “started a new song” in the middle of the move at her apartment, her mom, Sarah Young, told KTVU.
“She was hooked into her headphones. Had her microphone out, she was getting the bits down, she had written some lyrics,” she recalled. “It’s sort of amazing. She definitely is an artist, and she uses it to deal with everything that’s going on.”
Sanders posted a TikTok video on the day of her cancer diagnosis in which she was seen happily singing along to her song “Go Bravely” in the car, while the track played over the clip.
“Getting diagnosed with a soft tissue sarcoma the day before my song ‘Go Bravely’ drops means my past self was speaking hope I didn’t know I was gonna need!” Sanders wrote alongside the video, adding, “The craziest week but I have faith…”
Credit: Brandon Jaiyen
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Sanders is taking a new immunotherapy drug, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2022, to treat her cancer. She will also be having surgery in the fall to remove a four-inch tumor on her thigh, per KTVU.
“At first it was definitely more difficult to just look at the future and look at joy and not let fear consume me,” Sanders told KTVU. “So I’m just trying my best to keep fear out of my peripheral and just focus on where I want to go.”
“I’ve always kind of used music as an outlet for healing,” she continued. “I think this whole situation, while it’s been crazy … it’s really made me a lot more intentional right now. And just bring that fire back into who I am and why I want to do this.”
In a post shared on Instagram on July 17, Sanders said her cancer is “very treatable,” but added, “I can’t be convinced that this song is coming out a day after this crazy diagnosis coincidentally.”
“This song has already helped me grow and realign with the vision and purpose God has for me,” she continued in the caption. “Still so much growth ahead, but I’m happy with where I’m going, thankful for what the songs done for me thus far and hopeful that it can be a push to you the same way it was for me!”
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