Minnesota girl With Leukemia Finds Strength Through Music After bone marrow Transplant Call
USA: Hailey Hayden, a 12-year-old from Minnesota, has spent much of her childhood shuttling between home and the hospital after a series of medical challenges that began when she was seven. In 2023 her mother, Lisa, recalls receiving a call from Hailey’s doctor at children’s Minnesota informing them that leukemia had been found and that Hailey would require another bone marrow transplant. Hailey was ten at the time and reacted with raw fear before steeling herself for the fight ahead.
Music emerged as a central tool in Hailey’s recovery. Participating in music therapy allowed her to compose an original song that became both an emotional outlet and a means of reclaiming agency during treatments she could not control. Creating lyrics and melodies gave Hailey a sense of power and purpose at a time when medical decisions dominated her life, and she credits that process with helping her endure the rigors of cancer care.
Recently Hailey reunited with her music therapist, Aaron Freeze, and together they performed the very song that buoyed her through treatment, a moment captured during a Wednesday session. The therapist described the honor of helping children shape and contain their feelings through music, offering a space to grieve, vent, and then push forward. Family members and caregivers noted Hailey’s resilient attitude and the energetic spirit she brings to rehearsals and daily life.
Hailey continues to have monthly medical checkups and, by reports, is doing well. She has also taken advocacy into her own hands by writing to hospital leadership to request a dedicated space for music therapy so other young patients can access the same resource. With a birthday approaching, Hailey’s story remains centered on medical resilience, the role of a planned bone marrow transplant in her care, and the therapeutic power of song.
