A Rising Star
- 21-year-old Andrew Marshall, a leukemia survivor and contestant on NBC’s The Voice wowed the coaches during his blind audition last night. “Welcome to Team Nick,” Coach Nick Jonas said after choosing Marshall, giving him a standing ovation.
- Fellow coaches and singers John Legend, Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson also had favorable responses for the show hopeful, who used music to keep up his positive energy through his 5-year-battle with the disease.
- Dr. Nicole Lamanna from Columbia University Medical Center tells SurvivorNet about leukemia, which is a blood cancer. "Blood cancers in general affect different parts of the white blood cell count, which we need in a very basic way to help fight this infection,” she says. "Your blood elements do lots of things. One is to keep energy. One is to fight infection. Two are to help with clotting or to prevent patients from bleeding."
Marshall’s rendition of John Mayer’s “Gravity” inspired pop star Nick Jonas to immediately turn around (the contestants audition with the coaches’ backs turned so that the initial reaction is based on the quality of their voice and not their looks).
Read MoreJohn Legend playfully teased Marshall, saying that he is now a Jonas Brother, referring to Nick’s original band with his two brothers, Joe and Kevin Jonas, who rose to fame after doing Disney Channel appearances back in 2005. “I’ve been dreaming about being a Jonas Brother since I was like 10 years old,” Marshall responded.
Singer and talk show host, Kelly Clarkson, the last coach to give feedback, gave Marshall a tip that he should sustain his notes at times while singing for a little more intimacy, but said “your tone is really awesome, man, and congratulations, you’re on The Voice.”
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A Proud Fight
The Boxford, Massachussetts nativewho was diagnosed with leukemia at age 16is hoping for a new chapter with the help of this incredible opportunity. Marshall opened up on social media about his struggle and how he has persevered through life’s challenges.
“5 years ago my life changed forever. I was told my hair would fall out, that I would become increasingly weak, and that I'd have to shy away from school, athletics, and music,” the young singer wrote on his Instagram page. “However, I never would have imagined that despite the losses and struggle, I would learn so much about myself and become the person I am today. I'm proud of how far I've come and am ready for whatever life will bring me next.”
The corresponding photo shows Marshall on a hospital bed with a guitar in his hands.
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“5 is a magic number,” he continued. “My check-ups will be less frequent moving forward and the likelihood of it returning is now at its lowest. It hasn't always been easy. In fact, I'm learning more each day about how this experience has affected me, both positively and negatively. But today, I'm happy. There's never a finish line with Leukemia but I'm about as close as I will ever be <3.” â €
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What Exactly is Leukemia?
Leukemia is a very common type of cancerand the most common cancer in children. "Blood cancers in general affect different parts of the white blood cell count, which we need in a very basic way to help fight this infection," Dr. Nicole Lamanna from Columbia University Medical Center explains to SurvivorNet. "Your blood elements do lots of things. One is to keep energy. One is to fight infection. Two are to help with clotting or to prevent patients from bleeding."
Leukemias in general impair your normal blood elements' ability to do all the things they're supposed to do. "So if you have leukemia, it's in your bone marrow,” Dr. Lamanna says. “And the blood flows everywhere. You need to either be treated for the leukemia or you don't need to be treated for that leukemia. And that depends on the specific type of leukemia you have."
Music In Healing
Music has helped so many people get through various obstacles in their lives: Mental health issues, addiction, breakups, deaths of loved ones, and certainly cancer. Andrew Marshall keeping at his craft while going through leukemia has led him to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and just shows to never give up on your dreams no matter what life throws at you. His budding success story is an uplifting reminder to anyone pursuing art or music while going through cancer.
Cancer survivor Joel Nafterberg tells SurvivorNet about the power of music in his own cancer battle. "I have found music and rock and roll to be transformational," he said, adding that it "lets us dance on our problems for at least an hour or two." Nafterberg also said that he feels very "blessed" to have had some of his favorite artists as friends. "The people that were my heroes in entertainment and rock and roll have been my friends and have been some of the most supportive people that I've had in my life," he said.
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