The Healing Power of Music: Katelyn and Doris’s Beautiful Bond.
When I first spoke to Doris Gray of Northport, Alabama, she was adamant about one thing: “Please, don’t make the story about me. Make it about Katelyn—she has been through so much.”
But as our conversation unfolded, it became clear that Doris and Katelyn’s stories were intertwined in a beautiful way, both stories of resilience, kindness, and the healing power of music.
I first came to know 21-year-old Katelyn Dill of Cordova, Alabama, through her incredible journey of strength and perseverance. At just 16 years old, Katelyn was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic ovarian cancer. Her body endured countless surgeries, including the removal of her gall bladder, spleen, and parts of her liver. She’s been through more than 12 surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation, and there were many times when it seemed as though the battle might be lost. But Katelyn is a fighter.
Though she is off chemotherapy for now, Katelyn continues to fight on. Music has always been an important part of her life, and despite everything, she continues to play. Recently, she has taken up the ocarina, an egg-shaped wind instrument, adding it to her collection of musical hobbies. She still reflects on the time the Million Dollar Band invited her to practice with them, one of her dreams coming true. Music provides her with solace and joy, even in the darkest times.
Katelyn’s story was one that touched Doris deeply. Doris had lost her husband nearly three years ago, and since then, she has lived alone. While music is her solace too, Doris isn’t a musician. “Maybe I’ll start playing the keyboard or the guitar,” she told me with a cheerful laugh, adding, “They say playing the guitar will give you callouses.”
When Doris read about Katelyn’s love for music and her ocarina, something stirred inside her. She noticed that Katelyn’s instrument was plastic, and she wanted to do something special for her. Doris reached out to me, asking if I could provide Katelyn’s address so she could send her a ceramic ocarina—something more fitting for such a brave and inspiring young woman.
With Katelyn’s permission, I passed along the address. Days later, I received a text from Katelyn: “Tell Doris it came in! It’s purple and so shiny and beautiful—I’m scared I may drop it and break it!” I could almost hear the excitement in her voice through the screen, and it made my heart swell.
Doris’s generosity had not only brightened Katelyn’s day, but it had also deepened the bond between them. Doris, like Katelyn, is a woman of great strength—kind, tough, and warm. Through her own personal grief, Doris found a way to offer love and hope to someone else who needed it, and in doing so, she gave Katelyn a beautiful gift—one that would carry both music and memories for years to come.
“Doing good things for others makes me feel good,” Doris told me. “It’s just what I do.”
And Doris did just that. She reached out to a young woman in need, a woman who had already been through so much, and offered her a piece of joy, a piece of beauty, and a reminder that there is still goodness in the world.
As I reflect on this story, I’m reminded of the power of kindness. Doris didn’t have to do anything for Katelyn, but she chose to. She chose to bring a little light into Katelyn’s life when it felt like there had been so much darkness. In that simple act of kindness, Doris gave Katelyn a reason to smile, a reason to keep fighting.
As our conversation wound down, Doris, ever humble, reminded me once again: “Remember to write the story about not me, but Katelyn.”
“Well, I have to mention you just a little bit,” I teased.
“OK, maybe just a little bit,” Doris chuckled.
Just a little bit, indeed. Because while this story is about Katelyn, it’s also about Doris—the woman who, in her grief, chose to brighten another’s life with kindness and a gift of music.
