I’d like to share another song with you that I wrote. It is a tribute to my parents called, “Cashing in on a Dream.”

Many of you know about my mom’s battle with cancer.

Several years back she was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. She went through an initial round of treatment only to have the cancer come back a couple of year’s later. Another, more intense round of treatment was then necessary, one that very nearly took her life.

Miraculously she pulled out of that season and was officially deemed “in remission.” 

Throughout this battle my parents had put on hold many of their dreams to focus on helping my mom get better. One of those dreams was to take a river cruise with their good friends through Europe. With the remission declaration they felt confident to go ahead and book that trip, so they did.

Unfortunately, not long after, the cancer returned – for a third time. So, they canceled the trip.

If you know anything about cancer, you know it’s never good. But when it comes back for a third time, it’s REALLY not good.

The only option left for my mom was to get a stem cell transplant. They had gone down that path the last round, but she was not healthy enough for them to harvest her own stem cells (the preferred method) and couldn’t find a matching stem cell donor.

Thankfully this time around she was healthy enough to use her own stem cells.

A stem cell transplant is an arduous procedure that requires about three-weeks of hospitalization and can be very risky. Fortunately, for my mom, it was successful and she has once again been declared cancer free!

In 2019, enough time had passed and my mom’s health improved enough that they decided they could again start dreaming and planning for the adventures they had hoped pursue in retirement. My dad had always dreamed of going to Australia and New Zealand. So, along with the friends they had planned the Europe cruise with, they booked a cruise through Australia and New Zealand.

This time they didn’t have to cancel their trip!

Seeing pictures of them in Sydney harbor with the famous opera house in the back ground brought tears to my eyes. They had endured so much and were so strong. I was so inspired and grateful to see them get to finally cash in on the dream they had anticipated for so long and worked so hard for.

That experience inspired this song, “Cashing in on a Dream.” I’ve never shared it with them, so along with you, this post is the first time they will hear it.