gracievanbrunt

[gracievanbrunt]

I wanted to share some really exciting news with everyone. About one year ago today I got my bone-marrow transplant. Yesterday was a huge milestone in my transplant process because I finally got cleared of recovery!! This means that I no longer have any eating or physical restrictions and I can re-enter society as a normal person who isn't immuno-compromised anymore!

For the past few days I have been feeling uneasy about celebrating this accomplishment because of all of the recent events going on in the world. How am I supposed to celebrate my life when so many people are suffering, either from Covid-19 or from the Black Lives Matter movement? But with the help of my friends and family, I have decided that I need to be proud of this moment, and I need to celebrate this monumental day that I worked so hard for this past year. I can't believe I made it a whole year in recovery and I just want to say a huge thank you to all of my friends, family and doctors for guiding me and supporting me along this journey!

Louie and I will be heading back to Palm Springs on July 1st on an RV cross-country road trip! We will be living with his mom for a little while as we get back onto our feet 😊 So please come say hi before we leave! Because of the pandemic still happening, we can do a socially-distanced visit outside with masks on.

I hope this news can bring a little bit of joy to you today in these dark time ❤️

Please stay safe and healthy out there, I am sending love out to everyone!!

[gracievanbrunt]

I have been sitting on this song for a really long time and today I am really excited to announce that my new single “Run Run Run” is now available for Pre-Save on Spotify & iTunes! Thanks to Ian McFarland & Ryan Melone of Gumdrop Records, Louie my partner in crime and producer, and Hayley Mandel, one of my best friends and co-writer for helping me to make this special song come to life!

This song is about my struggles with my disease and confronting the scariest part of it….my transplant! The single comes out on May 7th and I am SO EXCITED to share it with everyone! The lyrics are kind of fitting for everyone in quarantine right now LOL, so I hope this song makes you feel less alone <3

Pre-Save Here: https://orcd.co/runrunrun

Stay safe and healthy! Sending out love!

I have SO MUCH MORE coming for you guys =) hehe.

[gracievanbrunt]

Quarantine Tips!

Hey guys,

So I’ve been in complete quarantine for almost 10 months now and yes, it does have its sucky moments. But at times like this, it’s so important and so helpful...and honestly, it really hasn’t been that bad!! If you need tips on how to deal with quarantine, ask away!

Quarantine Tip #1:

If you or your loved ones are getting cabin fever, it is always safe to go for a walk outside! Just remember to stay 6 feet away from anyone you see and bring some hand sanitizer in case you have to touch anything and a mask in case it turns out to be a crowded area (which if that’s the case, just go home).

Quarantine Tip #2:

If you or your loved ones needs to go out for ANY reason at all, even if you are going on a walk with someone or doing an activity outside, it is always important to ask that person or group if they have been sick within the last two weeks, if they have been on a plane within the last two weeks or if they have been around anyone who’s sick. If the answer is yes to any of these questions, it’s probably not worth it.

Quarantine Tip #3:

You know that thing that you’ve always wanted to do around your house but have just never felt like you had the time because of work, classes, school or something else? WELL NOW’S THE TIME!!! ❤️❤️

Quarantine Tip #4:

At the start of my recovey, I had to take my temperature every day to make sure I wasn’t spiking. One of the first signs of #covid19 is a high temp, so please go out and get yourself a thermometer...OR order one online! They are available at all drug stores. Everyone in your household should take their temp every day.

Stay safe and healthy! Sending out love ❤️

Quarantine Tip #5:

Take it day by day. Stop worrying about things you can’t control and focus on things that you can! Remember the bigger picture of your health and the health of others around you.

Stay safe and healthy! Sending out love ❤️

Quarantine Tip #6:

Now that we are all quarantined, we have the time to research the policies of each presidential candidate. The election coming up in November is super super important, so everyone please take some time to read up on things, do your homework and pick the best policy for you!!

Stay safe and healthy, sending love! ❤️

Quarantine Tip #7:

At the start of my recovery & to help myself get acclimated to life in isolation, I would make myself a schedule for every day! I am also a huge To-Do list maker. Lists have always helped to keep me on track for exactly what I want to accomplish each day.

Stay safe & healthy! Sending love out ❤️

Quarantine Tip #8:

When you get back from the grocery store always remember to wipe down your groceries with sanitizer wipes and wash all of your fresh fruits and veggies! When I was younger and very neutropenic, we would wash all fruits and veggies with one tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide in a bowl of water.

Stay safe and healthy! Sending out love ❤️

Quarantine Tip #9:

If you are getting bored and want to see friends, there are so many apps and websites out there that let you do stuff together!

Here are some of my favorites: Netflix Party: https://www.netflixparty.com/ ^^lets you watch Netflix with your friends via chat box!

Cards Against Humanity: https://cardsagainsthumanity.com/ Play Cards Against Humanity over video chat!

Catan Online: https://www.catan.com/game/catan-anytime you can play Catan with friends online!

Stay safe and healthy! Sending out love ❤️

Quarantine Tip #10:

REGARDING TAKEOUT, CURBSIDE PICKUP AND DELIVERY If and/or when you get takeout food remember these things:

1) Before opening your food, sanitize all of the containers it came in. 2) Use your own silverware and dishes to serve and eat. Do not eat straight from the takeout containers. You may also use gloves to plate your food instead of sanitizing your containers. 3) Warm your food up in the microwave for 30 seconds to kill all bacteria and germs that could be hanging out on your food. You may also warm it up in your oven, on the stove or in a toaster oven. The point is so you can kill any germs on the food. 4)Wash your hands thoroughly before you eat!!

**I would not recommend getting cold takeout like sandwiches and salads because you risk eating bacteria left on the food. **I would not recommend getting delivery because you want to maintain social distancing rules. Takeout, Drive-Thru or Curbside pickup is okay.

These are all precautions I have to follow for my transplant recovery. Hope these tips help!

Stay healthy and safe. Sending out love

Quarantine Tip #11:

It’s okay not to be okay. Don’t feel like you need to be super productive with all of this new free time and get everything done you’ve ever wanted to accomplish. You don’t need to get fit, you don’t need to finish that book you’re working on. This is a crazy time and you are allowed to process all of the feelings and emotions that come with it.

I didn’t work on anything for the first 4 months of my recovery. Just take your time and find your own new rhythm.

Stay safe and healthy! Sending out love ❤️

Quarantine Tip #12:

Please please please practice social/physical distancing. I know it can be devastating to cancel events, vacations, gatherings, parties, etc. especially ones that you have had planned for a long time or not be able to see your friends and loved ones, but it’s so important right now. I’ve had to sacrifice so many things for my recovery, but I know it’s for the best. There is a bigger picture going on right now and that is to keep us all safe. We are all in this together and we all need to take care of each other. ❤️❤️

Stay safe and healthy! Sending out love ❤️

Quarantine Tip #13:

The people most at risk for contracting #covid19 are the elderly, people with underlying medical conditions and the immuno-compromised. If you know anyone who is a high-risk patient here are some helpful things you can do for them!

1) They can't leave their house and it is dangerous for them to go to any public space, so if you have the time, you can go to the grocery store for them or bring them food! A lot of my family friends have been doing this for us and it has truly been so helpful. *Members of their household should also not be going anywhere public for the concern that they would bring something back to the high-risk patient.

2) You can pick up their prescriptions for them at the pharmacy!

3) Just check in on them to see if they need anything or need to talk =)

Stay safe and healthy out there! Sending out love <3

Quarantine Tip #14:

Take inventory on your groceries! See what foods you can meal prep and make in bulk to make your groceries last longer. Some of my favorite easy recipes are any sort of gumbo, chile, and for breakfast I love making slow-cooker oatmeal! All of these meals will last you up to a week depending on how large your household is. Last week we made tamales (a mexican traditional meal) and that batch lasted my parents, Louie and I all a whole week! Stay safe and healthy! Sending out love ❤️ Let me know if you want links to recipes!

Quarantine Tip #15:

Take a break from your phone/social media. Even though your phone makes you feel connected to people (especially right now), sometimes it’s exhausting to always be in touch with people and looking at social media. Especially in these weird times, it’s important to take care of your mental health. Being in quarantine makes you do a lot of thinking and/or overthinking so, if you need a day to yourself to rest or occupy your mind with something else, it’s okay to take it! Stay safe and healthy! Sending out love ❤️

Quarantine Tip #16:

Get your body moving! A great way to help relieve anxiety and stress is to exercise. It could be anything from going on a walk outside to going on the treadmill or lifting weights at home to simply just doing body weight exercises. It's important for your brain and body to stay active! We have a stationary bike and lately, I have been using that for 25 minutes at a time and then using the free weights I have at home to work out my arms and legs =)

Stay safe and healthy! Sending out love <3

Quarantine Tip #17:

Wash your hands! It is extremely important to wash your hands and wash them PROPERLY (Yes, this also goes for the people that think washing their hands is just rinsing them with water...).

1) Wash your hands after you touch your face, sneeze, cough into your hands (which like, don't), have been out in public, touching public surfaces like doorknobs and elevator buttons, after you've picked up your groceries, etc. Literally any time you touch something that might be contaminated or any time you leave and enter your house, wash your hands.

2) It has been proven that it does not matter what kind of soap you use. It does not need to be antibacterial or fancy. This is because the virus is protected by a coat of lipids (which are fat molecules). When these lipids come into contact with water and soap, they break up and therefore make it impossible for the virus to enter your body. So use any ol' soap you have! (https://www.nytimes.com/…/soap-coronavirus-handwashing-germ…)

3) Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds under warm water. I like to follow the paint demonstration! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEzJ_QKjT14)

4) Every time you wash your hands, this method needs to be perfectly replicated. EVERY. TIME.

Stay safe and healthy! Sending out love <3

Quarantine Tip #18:

Don't forget to check on the people in your life and tell them you love and appreciate them! With these weird and crazy times, you never know what's going to happen.

Stay safe and healthy! Going to follow my own advice and tell all of you I love you!!!

Quarantine Tip #19:

I actually wanted to ask all of you:

What are you most having trouble with during this Quarantine/Pandemic period? Are there any tips I can provide to you guys that you think would be helpful that I haven't talked about in a previous quarantine tip?

Stay safe and healthy! Sending out love

Quarantine Tip #20:

Now that you have the time, go through old folders, boxes and containers in your house and get nostalgic! My fam and I found some cute stuff today looking through old stuff!

Stay safe and healthy! Sending out love

Quarantine Tip #21:

Change out your toothbrush regularly! You should get a new toothbrush or toothbrush head every three months OR after you or someone in your household has been sick. Another thing you can do is stick your toothbrush in the dishwasher!

Germs can live on your toothbrush for a long time and you don’t want to be sticking those in your mouth!

Stay safe and healthy! Sending out love ❤️

Quarantine Tip #22:

Don't forget to cut your nails!! Having long nails could put you at a greater risk for harboring germs on your body. Even washing your hands isn't going to be as effective when you have long nails because germs can still get trapped under your nail beds and you wouldn't even know!

Ladies who have long acrylic nails right now... I ain't tellin' ya how to run your life and I certainly do not want to kill your vibes, but those long beautiful nails may not be the best idea right now =/

Stay safe and healthy! Sending out love <3

Quarantine Tip #23:

Rearrange your house/furniture! If you are feeling a little stagnant and unmotivated, a great way to help that is to make your space feel like a completely new and different space! Your living space always reflects your mental space =)

I just rearranged my room today and I feel so good about it!

Stay safe and healthy! Sending out love <3

Quarantine Tip #24:

Made this fun video with my family last night to show the effectiveness of different types of masks! The takeaway we discovered is that if you don't have any access to masks, make sure to double over your bandanas or clothing to be FOUR-PLY for the most effective protection!

Stay safe and healthy! Sending out love <3

Quarantine Tip #25:

Just Breathe...If you are going stir-crazy in your house, if you are feeling overwhelmed thinking about everything you need to do or not do, stressed out about your family, food or finances, on the verge of having an anxiety attack OR having an anxiety attack, just take a deep breath.

This year is my first time dealing with anxiety in my life and it has been a difficult one, but something that always helps me to calm down and something I've learned from other friends who have anxiety issues is that when you are experiencing an anxiety attack, take 5 deep breaths and COUNT all of the furniture in your room. OR count all the things in the room that are a certain color. Just anything to occupy your mind and calm you down. I'm including a fun little graphic to help you take deep breaths!

Stay safe and healthy! Sending out love <3

Quarantine Tip #26:

Happy Easter today! I know it’s gonna be hard not to have family over to celebrate and be together. My favorite part of Easter is always the Egg Hunt! I found this helpful article online that will help you to plan and do easter egg hunts via Zoom or Facetime!

https://www.newsweek.com/online-easter-egg-hunts-1497293

Enjoy your families (virtually) today! Stay safe and healthy! Sending out love ❤️

Quarantine Tip #27:

Laundry! If someone in your house is sick or has been exposed to someone who’s sick and you need to wash your clothes, try to keep their clothing/bedding contained in a garbage bag. When you do their laundry, you can mix it in with the rest of your family’s but make sure you wear gloves and a mask and turn your washer up to the warmest water setting that is safe for the fabric you are washing 😊

Also it doesn’t matter what type of detergent you use, just a standard one is fine! The high heat from the dryer will kill off any germs that don’t die off in the washer.

Stay safe and healthy! Sending out love ❤️

https://giphy.com/gifs/O7G40G72SHYLC/html5

Quarantine Tip #28:

Get to know your local grocery stores! With everything happening, I know it's been a struggle lately to pick up everything you need at the store. So, what my family and I have been doing is asking our local store when their shipments come in for specific products!

This week, we found out that our local Roche Brothers Store gets their shipments of toilet paper on Thursday morning! So now we know when the most opportune time to get it is =)

Stay safe and healthy! Sending out love <3

https://giphy.com/gifs/VTXzh4qtahZS/html5?fbclid=IwAR2YVPUSIAOg0KZY64wJa_avzUSMSzSYPH74l-M1lm21YMF7RqYloWeAz6Q

Quarantine Tip #29:

I have been getting a lot of messages from friends, colleagues, clients, followers and others just asking me for advice on how to deal with quarantine. So I Just want to give a friendly reminder to everyone that having panic/anxiety attacks, mental breakdowns, feeling exhausted, sleeping in until noon, eating crap food, wearing your PJs all day and binge-watching a show is ABSOLUTELY OKAY! Sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is SURRENDER. You are going through a lot right now, things aren't normal, the unknown is scary...so it's okay to give yourself time to process!

Stay safe and healthy and go at your own pace! Sending out love

https://giphy.com/gifs/xT9IgG3dcCL6hDyAG4/html5?fbclid=IwAR3zXraN96MOxl7UN7mZpHbwtIMYRVvWmTxJWZNkrLn6NSHeL62JH2uxkUk

Quarantine Tip #30:

(omg can't believe I've been doing this for a month now lol)

How to take off your mask, gloves and any other protective gear PROPERLY!

It's amazing that you are wearing gloves and a mask, but how much of a bummer would it be if when you took them off, you still got infected?

Here's a nice video tutorial on how to take off your mask and gloves and dispose of them =)

Stay safe and healthy! Sending out love

https://www.facebook.com/gracievanbrunt/videos/2879840752105554/

Quarantine Tip #31:

After you've given yourself plenty of time to process and IF (only IF) you feel ready, find something you are passionate about and hone in on that skill!

For my time in quarantine, I made it my goal to focus on my music and improving on my productions and vocals! At the start of my recovery, I could not record my own vocals, didn't really know how to do any editing or mixing in a DAW (digital audio workspace like Pro Tools) and would ask for a lot of help from my boyfriend, Louie, who is a producer/ engineer. Because he also deals with clients all the time, I would ask him for a lot of business advice as well.

I have been working really hard to improve on my songwriting, vocal, and production skills and now, when working on a topline, I can do it all myself! I record myself then edit and mix my vocals, then bounce the vocal stems out to send to DJs!

I am also really proud of myself because I have gotten more paid vocal and toplining work this year than I have ever gotten in my life and I don't really need to ask Louie for business advice anymore!

Honing in on a certain skill takes time and effort, but please remember to go at your own pace and only put in time when you feel ready and excited about it! And don't forget to pay attention to YOUR accomplishments, not others' =)

I hope this helps some of you who have been struggling in quarantine and may be feeling unmotivated.

Stay healthy and safe! Sending out love

[gracievanbrunt]

Honored to be featured in this MTV News article about young people with chronic illnesses facing the corona virus pandemic!! Thank you to Fortesa Latifi for including me and for writing such a beautiful and informative article!!

[gracievanbrunt]

Honored to be mentioned in this article for Teen Vogue! =)

[gracievanbrunt]

The CDC is doing an amazing job with tips and prevention! I would highly recommend reading this information and applying it to your daily life. As a person who is immuno-compromised from a chronic illness who has also been medically quarantined for nine months from a bone-marrow transplant, I can honestly say that these are practices I and my loved ones around me already implement. They are extremely helpful and very much effective. 

[gracievanbrunt]

For this year’s Rare Disease Day, I would like to share an article that I had the pleasure of writing for PatientWorthy.com! They actually reached out to me via this blog, and I just want to say thank you so much to the folks at Patient Worthy for allowing me to share my story with everyone!

Rare Disease Day is always a special day to me because it allows everyone in the Rare Disease Community to connect and spread awareness together! I will always be proud of my story, how far I have come in accepting my disease, my current recovery and how all of this has helped shaped me as a person with the lessons it has taught me. 

Happy rare disease day to all those warriors out there who live with a rare illness. I see you, I feel you, and I love you!!

Much love and gratitude, 

Gracie

[gracievanbrunt]

Today, I am 8 months into my recovery which means I only have 4 months of quarantine left!

I’m feeling very hopeful for when I am cleared. I’m also getting so impatient and excited....is it June already??? 

To help me push through these last 4 months, I made affirmations for myself to look at every day. I am a firm believer in the strength you hold inside yourself. Everyone has it, we just need a little help in bringing it out =) I have every bit of faith that I will pull through and come out stronger on the other side!

Thank you, as always, to everyone who has supported me throughout this journey. Your love and support means the absolute world to me. I hope these affirmations can help you too =)

[gracievanbrunt]

Hi Everyone!

Recently a lot of you have been reaching out, asking to come visit, wanting to Facetime, calling me, messaging me on Instagram or Facebook and I just want to say that I love all of you and you will never know how much I appreciate all of the love and support. I feel very lucky =) It has been really nice to see those of you that have come over and hung out!

At this point in my recovery, I am starting to develop massive social anxiety and just anxiety in general. I takes SO MUCH energy out of me to socialize with people and it's starting to cause me to have panic/anxiety attacks.

For now, I think the best thing that you all can do to help me heal and to help me in my recovery is to honestly just leave me alone. No more calls, no more requests for Facetime, no more visitors. It is too much for me to handle right now.

If you'd like to show your support and acknowledge this post, please simply just like this post.

Thank you to everyone who has been supporting me on this journey, it means so much to me and I hope you can understand my boundaries and my needs at this stage in my recovery <3 <3

[gracievanbrunt]

Made a new video for my six-month recovery mark! Only six more months to go now!!

This video is for anyone who's ever had questions about what my disease is and why I needed to get a transplant and what my recovery life is like.

As always, Thank you for all of the continuous and overflowing support from all of you!! <3

[gracievanbrunt]

This is everything right now. 

[gracievanbrunt]

Hi guys! 

 I know I haven't posted a vlog about my recovery in a while, it's been a crazy past couple of months...full of ups and downs. Lots of mixed emotions. But I wanted to share ALL parts with you!! I hope you enjoy my journey =) 

 ***If you are someone going through a bone-marrow transplant, have a bone-marrow/blood disorder, or are just going through anything medically challenging...just know that YOU can do this. You are strong, you are beautiful, you are loved and you can make it through whatever tough weathers you are faced with. Stay positive and make sure to LOVE YOURSELF. I LOVE YOU AND I AM HERE FOR YOU!!!!! 

 Thank you again for all of your continuous support and love. With much love and gratitude, Gracie

[gracievanbrunt]

Lately I have been feeling well enough to finally start exercising again! I have been going for walks to try to keep my body active still, but I haven’t been able to truly work out the way I used to. Today, using helpful videos and these fancy 3lb weights and exercise band that my sister gave me, I was able to work out for 30 minutes! 

It is definitely beginner status, but that’s okay =) I feel grateful that my body can even do anything right now. The further into my recovery process and the more I try to push myself, the stronger I will get and pretty soon I will be back to normal!

Actually I won’t be back to normal...I will be BETTER than normal because now I will have the blood counts of a NORMAL person!

I can’t promise myself any sort of workout schedule because every day is different for me, but I will certainly try to exercise at least a couple times a week!

Just as a side-note: my boyfriend, Louie, and I were talking about this the other day...but because of my abnormally low blood counts, my entire life I have learned to operate on a certain energy level that is significantly lower than an average person’s. Now that I have an average person’s blood running through my body, my energy level will eventually be at an average person’s level and that makes me really excited!

If I am already used to effectively and efficiently operating on my current energy level....imagine what I will be able to with an average person’s energy level!!! 

Anyway, 

Thank you as always to all of you who support me and follow my journey. You will never know how much it truly means to me to have so much love in my life =)

With love and gratitude, 

Gracie

[gracievanbrunt]

It is so weird how my two worlds of music and my rare disease collide sometimes because I am sitting in the hospital right now while I am listening to my new single "Siren" which is my first release on a label!!

I'll guess I'll talk about what's going on with my SDS first. Over the past few weeks my blood counts have been gradually decreasing, something that was concerning my doctor and something that was very unexpected. Dr. Antin explained to me that in order to get my counts up and my transplant recovery progress back on track I would need to get more stem cells from Bradlee.

So we had Bradlee fly out for the week to receive his Neupogen shots (they allow your stem cells to rise to the surface of your blood for easier extraction) and yesterday he was hooked up to this crazy machine for a few hours while they collected and cleaned his blood! Luckily, no surgery this time for bone-marrow.

Today I am sitting in my little infusion room receiving his stem cells. To be honest, when I first got the news I was pretty frustrated that my body wasn't doing what I wanted it to, especially because there's nothing you yourself can do to improve your blood. When you get a cold, you can take care of yourself with cold medication and Vitamin C, when you want to lose weight you can start eating healthy and exercising...when you want your blood counts to do better there's literally nothing you can do except get infusions from a doctor. It's frustrating to not always be in control of your body and to feel like it is failing you.

But I have confidence that today's stem cells are going to do great and I want to thank my brother, Bradlee, for making the effort to come all the way from Detroit for the week and give me more of his blood!!

NOWWW onto the fun news!

In April I was contacted by a DJ named Kiba to topline one of their tracks. This was right around the time when my boyfriend, Louie, and I were gearing up to move from LA to Boston for the transplant. I got the track from Kiba and  with my wonderful songwriting partner, Liza , I guess I just started writing about how I was feeling with everything going on. I sent them a rough draft of it and they instantly loved it! I finished the topline for them and they began shopping it around to different labels.

We finally landed upon Simplify Records for the release and now it is here today!!!!!

This song came from a very real place and it means a lot to me! I hope you can feel that when you listen to it =)

Please go stream!!

Thank you all for your continuous support as always!

With much love and gratittude,

Gracie

[gracievanbrunt]

For anyone struggling with their body, whether it be a medical condition, a weight issue, a self-love issue, anything at all...

Please never give up on it. Even though there are times where you feel like your body is failing you or it's not good enough or you hate it, please know that it loves you, it has always loved you and will always love you.

Your body is truly the only place you have to live. The only place where you can store your thoughts, your feelings, your soul. Please respect it, please tell it you love every part of it and that you will commit to taking the best possible care of it that you can.

If that means making sometimes challenging sacrifices like quitting alcohol, quitting drugs, eating healthier, losing weight, or going through a major medical procedure to improve your overall quality of life (hello), do it. If that means not surrounding yourself with negative energy or taking yourself out of stressful situations even when it might have been something you thought you wanted, do it.

Do not think yourself invincible because no one is. Keep your body safe. Keep it warm. Keep it nourished. Keep it sane.

Listen to your body. If you are getting sick, rest when you can. If you need to go to the hospital or see your doctor, even if you absolutely hate going, please go. If you are overwhelmed or stressed, rest...even if it means missing that Beyonce concert you wanted to go to. If your body is hungry, eat. If your body is tired, sleep. If your body can't function properly and hasn't been taken care of properly, you won't function properly.

Love your body, because if you don't, no one else will.

Because of my disease, these are lessons I've been learning my whole life from an early age. I didn't have a choice not to learn them. If I didn't learn them, I would literally be dead. But I'm grateful for everything I've gone through because now I know these things. I am proud of myself for how far I have come in my life and for the decisions regarding my body that I have made.

I want to be here for anyone that is struggling with their body, no matter in what way. If you want to talk to someone, please know I am always here!

And if you need a reminder, I wrote this little diddy to help you out =) I sing it to myself every time I go to the hospital or whenever I feel like I'm having a bad day. I hope this little song can help you as much as it helps me!

Right now it’s a rough demo of the song, but I’m thinking of putting it on my next EP (which will come out in 2020!!)...what do you guys think? <3

With much love and grattitude,

Gracie

[gracievanbrunt]

Hi Gracie, I am an OLD OLD friend of your dad’s. We went to high school together and we have remained super-close although we don’t see each other as much as we should. We have met, but you were much younger. I came to a few of your fund-raising parties which were fun! I just wanted you to know how absolutely thrilled I am to see you conquering the world. Your music is amazing, and your journey is beyond-amazing. thank you for being an example to us all. LIfe sure can be bumpy, but you are a superb example to us all. I am a book publisher in NYC, would you let me know if you would like any good books to read? I know you have music! Sending huge amounts of love Judy

[gracievanbrunt]

Happy belated birthday

Hi Gracie,

I celebrated your second birthday and have been thinking of you and your family every day sending love and prayers to you all. You are a warrior and a hero to me to fight back with such courage against this ugly disease. The strength you have is admired and I do know how hard it is somedays to find that strength. I have always though your mom to be amazing and a fighter so I can see where the fight comes from. Our family is thankful to you and David would be too! He was a fighter and would support you in your battle against SDS.  Cheers to your hero brother. Love to you and your family xoxoxoxo