Songs Before Surgery

I asked friends, family, and strangers on the Internet to give me songs to help me put together a Brain Tumor Eviction Playlist. And I've been listening to it quite a bit over the past couple weeks. 

A few songs stuck out over the past few days. 

Number One: “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten

This song is on my playlist, but as we checked into our hotel on Sunday evening, this song happened to be playing in the lobby. 

Ger hadn’t heard the song before, but I played it for him. He said, "Is this a little cheesy for you?" And I said, "Yes, but it's also very appropriate for this period of time in my life." 

Number Two: “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles

As I was waiting for my tumor embolization on Monday, I was in the operating room, and one of the nurses asked if I would like to hear any songs. I said, "You pick." and she said, "Taylor Swift," to which I kind of made a face that said ‘I’m not a big Taylor Swift fan.’ 

So she asked if she could play Beatles music. The song that came out was "Here Comes the Sun." 

Of course I got a little weepy and started crying a bit, sitting there on the table. Everyone who has been through a brain surgery will tell you the emotions are normal, and of course I know that, but I still cry every day. 

Number Three: “Get Back” by the Beatles

Once "Here Comes the Sun" was done, I asked the nurse to play "Get Back” by the Beatles." When I think of this song I think of the brain tumor in my head. Like “Get back to where you once belonged.” 

Plus, it's just a really fun song and everybody in the OR was kinda dancing to it. And that was the last song I heard before I fell asleep. I don't even remember falling asleep or feeling at the end of the song. 

Number Four: "No One is Alone" from “Into The Woods"

On Tuesday morning, the day of surgery, we were waiting for the transport team to come get me from my recovery room. They were supposed to arrive at 6:30AM, but of course, nothing in a hospital happens on time. So as the clock crept towards 7, we started listening to the Brain Tumor Eviction Playlist. And the song that we were listening to when the transport team arrived was "No One is Alone,” sung by Bernadette Peters. 

The song is from “Into the Woods." Bernadette Peters was in the show, but she did not sing that song. She was The Witch, and the song is sung by The Baker’s Wife. However, I've heard Bernadette Peters sing this song many times. She has a beautiful rendition of it. 

It just reminds you that no one is alone. We are always going through life together. 

So that's the last song I heard before my brain surgery.