James Cole can’t help but gush over his twelve-year-old daughter, Emmy. “She consistently amazes us,” says Cole of the tween who was just two years old when she was diagnosed with high-risk neuroblastoma. “We couldn’t be more proud of the young woman that she’s becoming. She unfortunately had to grow up a little too fast, but she’s turning that into becoming an incredible voice and advocate for other kids going through what she’s going through.”

What Emmy finds herself navigating now is the somewhat confusing mix of happiness, anxiety, thankfulness, and fear that comes with survivorship. “My life right now is just like any normal kid,” says Emmy, who has been in remission for the past six years. “The only difference between me and my peers is that I go to maybe one or two appointments a month, which is great, but yeah, nobody likes going to doctor’s offices.”

That truth is captured in “Hope is a Light in the Dark,” an inspiring song Emmy co-wrote with fellow Hyundai Hope on Wheels National Youth Ambassador Jackson Trinh, at The Sound Factory in Hollywood over the summer. It was part of a special songwriting session hosted by Musicians on Call. “Hope has helped me through my whole cancer journey,” says Emmy. “Cancer comes with its share of struggles. Hope is a big part of how me and my family kept going. We always prayed for another day and hope definitely got us through that journey and where I am now.”

Twelve-year-old Emmy Cole (far left) channels her cancer journey into music, using songwriting as a source of strength and hope, alongside producer Suzy Shinn on guitar.

Photo by Dusty Barker

Jackson and Emmy recording with musician Lou Lou Safron. 

Photo by Dusty Barker

Writing such an emotional song wasn’t easy. “The most challenging parts were probably fitting all the words into the song,” says Emmy. “Finding the words and making sure every word had a meaning was the hardest part. I want every other kid who listens to these songs to know that you are going to get through this.”

That honesty made a deep impression on the producers who guided the session. “It was evident from the start that she wanted to write about the anxiety that she still feels as a cancer survivor,” says producer and songwriter Suzy Shinn, who—alongside fellow producer Sam Hollander and musician Lou Lou Safron—partnered with Hyundai Hope on Wheels and Musicians on Call to help the youth ambassadors in the songwriting process. “I didn’t expect those words to come out of her mouth and how well she could articulate herself and the big, very human, very thoughtful, very deep emotions that she could say. She knew exactly what she wanted to say, and I was blown away by it.”

Authenticity is what makes the Musicians on Call songwriting program so special. “It’s all about allowing people to share their story through song,” explains Pete Griffin, president and CEO of Musicians on Call, an organization that brings live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients, families, and caregivers in healthcare environments. “When these young people share the words of what they’ve been going through or what they’ve been through, you really see their energy grow and they start to light up because it’s giving them power over something that maybe they felt powerless with.”

And if you ask Griffin, Emmy is a star in the making. “She is just a fantastic young person,” he says. “I mean, we joke around—having done two songwriting sessions with her now—that someday we’ll be working for her because she’s just such a smart and talented kid with such a big personality. She’s wise beyond her years.”

These days, Emmy is living a fulfilling life on the cusp of her teenage years. She loves horseback riding, hanging out with her friends, and listening to music from favorite artists such as Tate McRae, Morgan Wallen, and Russell Dickerson. “I feel stronger than ever,” says Emmy. “Right now, I’m in the survivorship part of my era, so we aren’t as worried about the cancer as we were before. I’m very proud of myself.”