In 2018, a few days before Thanksgiving, Helena noticed something. She was having difficulty lifting speakers at her gigs. She became winded after only a few songs. Even the most minute tasks became daunting.
She went to the hospital and doctors said her white blood cell count was through the roof. Her body was scrambling to fight infections, but couldn’t. She didn’t know what that meant. Doctors did. She had leukemia. They said it was “aggressive.” The 8 months that followed were the longest and worst in Helena’s life. Constant pain, nausea, infections and drugs - the strongest chemotherapy available.
In April 2019, she received a bone marrow transplant from her sister, Somali. Helena spent the next month in quarantine, waiting to see if the transplant would be enough to help her triumph over her ravenous disease. It was.
Today, she is proud to say that she is cancer-free. Helena has re-emerged from the toughest battle of her life with a renewed appreciation for life and passion for writing original music.
During her months spent in the solitude of a hospital room, Helena began examining life, love and the human condition, spending her days healing her body … and writing songs. Her newest single, Castaway, is the first from those sessions.
Helena is working in the studio through 2019 as she rebuilds her strength and health to its fullest capacity. When Helena was diagnosed with leukemia, she thought her music career — and possibly her life — could be over. Turns out, both are just beginning.
Helena
leukemia
