The fight for survival when trying to overcome a serious illness is an intensely personal one, but it can be an almost equally intense fight on the part of caregivers and loved ones. Canadian Christian artist Ileen Laura paints a sonic watercolor of this mutual fight for life in her sad and hopeful new single, “Fight Left In Me.”
A heartfelt piano ballad with Ileen’s signature crystal-clear, soaring, and inspirational voice, “Fight Left In Me” is based on the real-life battle Ileen’s father is currently fighting against the rare, lung-attacking disease, Systemic Scleroderma.
“When my dad first discovered that something was wrong, he went for multiple tests to try to diagnose what he actually had,” Ileen says. “After what seemed like forever, his rheumatologist finally discovered that he had Scleroderma — an autoimmune disease that has left him breathless due to the hardening of his lungs.”
The song’s raw emotion is every feeling Ileen — and, no doubt, her father — has felt since his diagnosis. “It’s a ballad that evokes raw emotion with descriptive lyrics to give the listener a window into the daily struggle of those living with this horrible disease,” Ileen shares. “‘Is this the part where they say sorry, but I’m afraid’ are words that any person who is living with Scleroderma has heard before.”
Can you hear me?
I’m not done thinking about all the fighting I’ve got to do
Can you see me?
I’m not done thinking about all the things that I’d like to do
‘Cause there is still a fight left in me
The release of “Fight Left In Me” comes at just the right time, with Scleroderma Canada calling on Canadians to do their part and “Make A Move” for Scleroderma.
The song’s cover art appropriately features a set of lungs being swarmed by butterflies, representing the involvement of the lungs, hardening due to the overproduction of collagen due to Scleroderma. The music video for “Fight Left In Me” was filmed by Amir Soleimani, and choreographed by Tara Pilon and dancers Kelly Shaw and Tyler Gledhill, to beautifully convey the fight that anyone struggling with Scleroderma can relate to. The music, artwork, contemporary dance, and video are all a tribute to all who suffer silently and will hopefully bring awareness to the disease.
