Words of Wisdom

In 2004, multiplatinum recording artist Melissa Etheridge was diagnosed with breast cancer. She says her journey brought her closer to hell than she's ever been. But Melissa proved she is a survivor. Just weeks after undergoing grueling chemotherapy, she emerged truly triumphant. Bald and beautiful, she returned to the spotlight and performed at the 2005 Grammy® Awards ceremony.

For Melissa, it was a defining moment. Despite being weakened by the cancer treatment, Melissa rocked the stage that evening. "It was important for me to get back up, get up on the horse and ride," she says.

During her recovery, Melissa says she found "an amazing meditation."

"It was perspective," she says. "My spirit is going. I have love. I have feelings. I have thoughts. I have a whole world going on, but my body is not available to me now. ... I now no longer fear death because I know that, yeah, this body goes away; it will terminate—but that which is inside me goes on and on no matter what. And it really raised me up to that energy."