Jaclyn Bradley’s Healing Music Mission and Nostalgic New Songs

Visiting hours at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center end in just 30 minutes, but Jaclyn Bradley has one more stop. Carrying her guitar and keyboard, she enters the room of Dr. Gary Docs, who is scheduled for a life-or-death cancer surgery the next morning. His chances of survival are 50/50.

Bradley encourages him to write a song. The lyrics speak to his 20-year-old stem cell donor, Jordy Davis: Please accept this song before I say goodnight. You’ve given me the miracle of life.

“Jaclyn didn’t know I could play those instruments, so when she handed me them, it lifted my spirits,” recalls Gary, whose surgery in 2012 was successful. “I cried for an hour because writing helped me relax.”

Davis, his donor, had volunteered for a cheek swab in college in exchange for free pizza. He never expected to be a match — or to save a life.

“I cried when I heard Gary’s song,” he says. “I still listen when I need a reminder of what matters in life.”

That night in 2012 is just one of many miracle moments Bradley has seen as a music therapist. In 2015, the Northeast Ohio native published the largest-ever study to bring music into the operating room for breast cancer surgery. Published in The Journal of Clinical Oncology, the study found that playing a patient’s favorite music before, during, and after surgery reduced anxiety by 40%. Her work is now referenced among music therapists across the world, and Cleveland Magazine named her as part of our Most Interesting People class of 2016.

“It can help patients heal physically and emotionally,” says Bradley.

Born in Lorain, Bradley began performing as a toddler. She later earned a degree in opera and is a board-certified music therapist. She became a hit in The Netherlands and Ireland, where she performed country, pop, and folk rock. She was showcased on Ireland’s Got Talent and The Voice of Holland. Her music has been featured on TLC, Bravo, MTV, VH1 and HGTV. After returning home to Northeast Ohio, she released a single, “Hometown,” about Lorain, but it’s one just about anyone can relate to: I searched the world over for gold and turned around to find it in my hometown.

In September, she released “Love Like It’s 1983,” a nostalgic, country-tinged tune reminiscent of early Taylor Swift or LeAnn Rimes. Nashville Universe, a promotion company with ties to the Country Music Association, asked to perform it on stage at one of Nashville’s newest venues, The Green Light. 

“We love what Jaclyn is doing with her music therapy and we really look forward to hearing her on a Nashville stage,” says Michael Kay, president of Nashville Universe.

She says the honor “feels like a manifestation of what I dreamed of as a child.” The performance in Nashville even fell on the 10-year anniversary of her landmark music therapy study. 

“I remember traveling to Nashville at 8 years old and attending the Grand Ole Opry,” she says. “To have a modern day version of that take interest in me feels like a manifestation of what I once observed and dreamed as a child.”

Even as she focuses on her music, Bradley finds time to sing with cancer patients at Mercy Hospital in Lorain. She’s also furthered her life of service with Rock Town Music Academy in Lorain. She offers private music instruction for students K-12.

“It’s a place for the creative soul,” she says. 

In July, she saw music heal in a different way. She was asked to write a song in honor of fallen Lorain Police officer Phillip Wagner and for injured officers Peter Gale and Brent Wayne. In July, Wagner, Gale and Wayne were ambushed and shot by a suspect, who was killed when officers returned fire.

“To be able to use my voice to remember and honor such heroes is the greatest use of my talents,” says Bradley. “Serving others is why I sing.”

Now in her 40s, Bradley continues to look forward to bigger things. Major artists like Jelly Roll and Stephan Wilson Jr. being nominated for best new artist awards in their 40s reminds her to keep on dreaming. 

“The only limits are the ones I give myself,” she says. “I am loving this decade of my life best so far, and I believe that everyone should believe that the best days are always ahead. 

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