Many of us wonder what comes after we leave this world. Does our existence end once we close our eyes for good or do we carry on as friendly ghosts or guardian angels of our loved ones? Sadly, the musician Cat Janice will get the answer way sooner than she should. As a parting gift to her son, she wrote a song that went viral on the internet, ensuring that her boy will be taken care of even when she’s gone.
More info: TikTok
Young mother and musician Cat Janice was diagnosed with aggressive cancer
People tend to remember significant days when something big has happened to them. The day they met the love of their lives, the day they adopted their fluffy dog or the day they received the worst possible news. Life separates into “before” and “after”. For 31-year-old Cat Janice, this day happened back in 2022, when she noticed a strange lump on her neck. The young woman to the doctors and heard the sad news – she was diagnosed with sarcoma, a rare type of tumor that grows within the bones and tissue.
Despite the diagnosis, Cat was determined to fight and after a long treatment, she kicked cancer’s butt. But cancer is a cunning disease, it can lay dormant in the deepest corners of the body, waiting to strike again. Tragically, it decided to return to Cat on a warm summer day in June 2023. This time, it seemed even more aggressive, attacking her lungs. Once again, the brave mother went to battle. After finding out that the cancer has returned, Cat posted a hopeful video to her social media, saying:
“I’m going to go back into treatment. I’m going to be really effing strong about it and I’m going to let you guys know what’s going on. And thank you guys so much for loving me.”
In January 2024, she found out she was losing the battle and went into hospice. But she wanted to release just one more song before she passed
With so much love and support from everyone around her, Cat had the best chances possible. A mother to a wonderful boy, a musician, and a scientist, working towards a master’s degree in coastal geology – it wasn’t fair of destiny to try and take her away. If only diseases cared about it. Sadly, they have no regards for future plans, they don’t listen to the prayers whispered at night, they do not care for the tears they cause.
Cat found some solace in her music; despite her diagnosis, she continued to create songs, write wonderful lyrics and produce tunes for others to enjoy. Every day, she would choose to create instead of wallow in her despair. But, this time, cancer was stronger than her. In January of 2024, she posted a heartbreaking update about her health, revealing that the tumors have “basically tripled overnight”.
On January 10th, 2024, while everyone was still busy making plans for the year ahead, Cat entered hospice. Due to her tumors, she could not breathe on her own.
The worried mother knew that she doesn’t have much time left; that one day she won’t be there for her boy to take care of him when he needs tucking in, cheering up or new trainers once his feet start growing seemingly overnight. But she was determined to take care of him anyway.
She signed all of her music rights to her son, hoping he will be taken care of even after she’s gone
The musician signed her entire discography over to her son, ensuring that all the royalties go towards his future. And, as a wonderful, bittersweet final present, she released one final track, “Dance Outta My Head”. The song is catchy, with fun and easily memorable lyrics and a beat that gets stuck for days.
Cat revealed that the song idea just “came randomly” as she and her son were just driving around. “We came up with some fun lyrics and a little ditty, I song banked it and made a little voice note of it and as time went on, we would bounce around in the car to it every now and then.”
She didn’t expect much, but the song quickly went viral with thousands of TikTok videos being made using that sound. Actors, influencers, and others encouraged people to use this sound so Janice’s son would receive profits. A lot of people came forward, dancing “outta their head”, sharing touching stories about personal experiences with cancer.
Much to her surprise, the song went viral, with thousands of people all over internet dancing to “Dance Outta My Head”, raising more money for Cat’s son
This just shows that music brings people together, making the world a slightly better place. That’s the tragic beauty of human nature, finding hope in a losing battle, trying to help a stranger as much as we can. If only this was enough. But Cat doesn’t want her listeners to be sad. In her video, she wrote about her wish.
“I want my last song to bring joy and fun! It’s all I ever wanted through my battle with cancer.”
Her wish came true! One night, she woke up from the beep of her medical support machine and checked her phone. She quickly learned that that her song had charted.
“I was sitting there in the middle of the night looking at my phone. What the heck is going on here. I started yelling and my parents came down, they were like, what is going on?”
It inspired other people to share about their encounters with this cruel disease
“You all loved me so hard and gave me that moment and I am forever grateful. Whatever God brings my way, I know I am loved,” shared the musician
As of February 2024, “Dance Outta My Head” is still in the TOP 10 in the charts. I wonder how many listeners send their love and best wishes every time they dance to it or go for a drive with their loved ones just like Cat did? Luckily, Cat does feel the good vibes everyone’s sending her.
“YOU DID THIS! You all loved me so hard and gave me that moment and I am forever grateful. Whatever God brings my way, I know I am loved,” she shared on her socials.
Hopefully, Cat will be able to see even more crazy dancers to her song and find solace in knowing she has made so many people happy. Especially her son, who will listen to her last tune, knowing that mom loves him very much and she will always be there for him, even if he cannot see her.
Everyone loved the song and admired Cat’s incredible strength
