Cancer Patient Hits Grace Notes With Her Music

Spring Libutti

Countless families and friends have been affected by a breast cancer diagnosis.

Patients living with cancer have complex needs that go beyond medical treatment – you need peace of mind, togetherness, and a team that tirelessly fights for you at every step. 

One of Lee Health’s current patients, Spring Libutti, also known as Spring Lovelle for her music career, has been battling metastatic breast cancer for four years.

In early 2018, she was suffering from severe back pain that went down to her right leg. After getting X-rays done by her chiropractor, something was not right, and she quickly got a PET scan done with her primary physician. The results showed stage 4 breast cancer. 

“I could not believe it,” says Spring. “I have always been cautious with what I eat and have been physically active for years. As a professional singer, staying healthy has always been important to me.” 

During her first year of treatment with facilities outside of Lee Health, Spring lost her ability to walk and drive. She lost so much weight and was feeling hopeless. 

“My overall mental health went to a dark place,” says Spring. “I always wondered what the point of living was if I could not do the things I wanted to. I wondered if this was the best my life would get. The social workers at Lee Health encouraged me to find joy in this, but this was not easy to do at the time.”

Spring came to Lee Health during her first year for radiation and was later introduced to Dr. Rabia Khan, a Lee Health physician with LPG Palliative Care Associates. Dr. Khan created a new plan for Spring’s treatments to help her with her mental health and pain and ultimately get her to feel good again.

The Power of Music

For Spring, Dr. Khan flipped a switch in her that led her back to creating music.

“I remember writing silly jingles about things I could not do, like going to the bathroom,” says Spring. “Dr. Khan thought they were so creative, which led to my beginning to write music about my struggles and finding hope.”

Spring did not touch music for the first two years during her treatments, but she did join an online songwriters class for a positive distraction and inspiration. She started writing songs to promote hope and healing within several genres. 

For the past several months, Spring has been thriving with her music and treatments. She recently had a brain and bone scan done, and everything was looking great. 

“They did find a small growth in my liver,” says Spring. “When I received the news, I went back to my studio and finished creating a song called “Say Yes to Life.” I never felt so happy after receiving bad news. It was all because I was making music again, and I found my joy.”

Spring is currently releasing new songs she made on her YouTube channel. Her goal is to inspire other patients that joy can be found during these unknown times. 

“You have to focus on the positives when fighting cancer,” says Spring. “Before I die, I want my music to be published to help other people. It is not about me or self-promotion. It is about sending the message of peace, love and hope.”

Courage and Grace

Spring shared that Dr. Khan saved her life when they met. 

“As a Palliative Care Physician at Lee Health, I know what an honor it is to help people through their difficult treatments,” says Dr. Khan. “As Spring’s physician, helping her through her challenges and witnessing her battle them with courage and life-affirming grace has made me change the way I look at my life. I have learned the importance of resting when I need to.

“Since I am a physician and write prescriptions daily to make people’s lives better, I have a prescription for you: Subscribe to Spring’s free YouTube channel and enjoy her music. I guarantee her music will make you happy!”

We want to thank Spring Libutti for sharing her story about her cancer journey. We also want to thank Dr. Khan for going above and beyond for our patients. 

Please join us in wishing Spring the best as she continues fighting breast cancer!

Learn more about breast cancer awareness.