David Archuleta: Shining A Light on NF

WAITING IN SILENCE
Watch and wait. When David pressed the pause button on his career in music to serve as a missionary for his church in 2012, I have adopted this mode of watchful waiting. Two years of silence seemed like a long time. But two years came and went just like that.

#DA2014. And then, the words that the fans have been waiting for: “I’m home.” But from then, more waiting for what again seemed like a long time. 2015. 2016. 2017…

Watch and wait. That is also the general medical advice to me for my NF2, (neurofibromatosis type 2; click to jump to what I've written on it below), a genetic condition with hallmark symptoms of benign, slow-growing tumors in the hearing nerves. It has already taken away the hearing in my right ear almost eight years ago. But I try not to let it keep me from living life and enjoying it as much as I can. Certainly not from enjoying music, with my only hearing ear seemingly stable for now…

To me, two things are certain:
      1) David will put out new music, and he will come back to the Philippines.
      2) My one functional ear won’t remain stable forever.

I watch and wait, eager and hopeful for one thing, but apprehensive and anxious for another.

Unfortunately for me, thing #2 happened first. One day at church a few months ago, the choir suddenly sounded like an old radio blaring music full of static. I panicked, thinking, “Oh no, is this it? The dreaded moment?” For weeks after that, there was terrible banging and ringing in my ears. I can barely understand people trying to talk to me. I was frightened, uncertain of what the future holds, and devastated that I won’t get to do certain things anymore. Particularly hearing music. Especially David’s music.

What is a girl going deaf to do? Stuck at home, praying to God for a miracle for my hearing, this silent fan whose world is growing silent wrote David a letter.

I thanked him for his music and his faith that is one thing that has uplifted and inspired me through the years of battling NF2. And expressed a long shot wish: that I may get to hear him live again while I still (barely) can. Shoot for the stars, right? Honestly though, I didn’t really expect anything from it. To know that my message apparently reached him gave me some peace.

But again I watched, again I waited. I kept holding out, for what, I don’t know…

LEO
Imagine my utter surprise when not even a month later, David announced the release of his second EP this year, Leo. I may be going deaf, but God certainly hears prayers!

(Pic credit: DavidArchuleta.com)

I was both happy and sad upon Leo’s release. Happy that the wish of having new music from him again was granted so soon, but also sad because…I can’t quite hear them right. I struggled to catch the melodies and to figure out the words. The ringing in my ears has quieted down considerably, but music still sounds garbled.

Admittedly, I did not listen to the songs in full at first. It was breaking my heart to not hear them well. I felt it would be easier to be withdrawn, to simply accept my new normal of not hearing music as I used to.

But God had an answer to my tears. A few days later, an FB live chat was announced to celebrate the release of Leo. During the chat, David sang live acoustic versions of the new songs, and oh what a treat! I’ve always loved his acoustic renditions, and I discovered that I can hear music a lot better that way too.

(Video credit: jr4DA2016)

Orion is amazing, but Leo is quite special because it came to me at just the right time. It's hard to keep feeling down despite life's unexpected challenges when David's message in Leo rings loud and clear: look up, embrace change, keep going, and find that inner strength!

But wait, there’s more! Towards the end of the live chat, David dropped two big announcements: that he’s releasing a full-length album in October, and wonder of wonders, that he is coming back to the Philippines before the year ends!

That’s just crazy. Thing #1 will finally happen, and very very soon!

MABUHAY MANEELA!
One night while wondering how soon is “soon”, I was about to go to sleep when I did a last quick scroll through my Facebook feed. Oh hey, there’s a post from David.

   

(Video credit: David Archuleta FB)

“Mabuhay, Philippines, it’s David here.” My heart dropped. Oh my, is this it? The awaited moment? 
October 20th at the Kia Theatre. That was barely a month away! I couldn’t contain my excitement: David really is coming back!

The month leading up to his arrival was both quick and excruciatingly slow. I kept praying that my hearing will hold up until the awaited day. I was anticipating that there would be lots of promo, especially since he’s dropping his new album Postcards in the Sky on the same day as his concert here. Perhaps mall shows and hopefully meet and greet opportunities like the last time he was here. Surprisingly though, there was utter silence!

I didn’t even know when he was going to arrive, so I was in complete shock when I learned that he just landed at the airport here in Manila a full four days before the concert! Pinoy Archies rightfully gave him an amazing welcome though, and I was very glad for that. Welcome back, David!

THE WISH BUS
Still, there was this silent wish in my heart to have the chance to do something I wasn’t able to back in 2012. This fan was a bit heartbroken for not being able to thank David and wish him well on his new journey even when he was here in the Philippines shortly before he left for his mission. With him finally back here but with my hearing on the decline, I wished more than ever to be able to express my heartfelt thanks to him personally. Especially because I’m not sure if I will be able to hear him again after this. NF2 is that unpredictable.

So again I watched, again I waited. I was in fact wrong; over the next few days there were plenty of radio and TV promos and interviews than the fans could have ever hoped for after his six-year absence here.

And yet no meet and greet announcements. Two days before the concert, I settled with myself that I should be content with going to his show and seeing him perform live with his new music. That was an answered prayer already, and I am very grateful for that.

But that night, I stumbled upon this post on Facebook:

(Pic credit: Wish 107.5 FM FB)

A roadshow? Quickly looking it up, local radio station Wish 107.5 FM apparently features the Wish Bus, a roving music hub in which they invite artists to perform live. And David will be there the next day. I was torn. I really wanted to go, but a) it’s a weekday, b) on work hours, and c) in a venue I’ve never been to that is an hour or more away from work considering horrible Metro Manila traffic.

The following day, I couldn’t shake this strong nagging feeling that I really should go see David that afternoon. So I wrapped up my tasks early for the day, excused myself from work, and promptly hailed an Uber to Venice Piazza.

For some reason, there was hardly any traffic and I got to the venue an hour before the show was scheduled to go live. Nearing 4PM, I found the Wish Bus parking and a small crowd starting to gather beside it. I took a spot right in front of the sound booth, my hands and knees shaking. David will soon be here!

A black car with tinted windows arrived.
And then there he was, David himself.

He was all smiles, waving at the crowd before getting on the bus, with Kari and Brady quickly following him. It was an unbelievable moment. Six years of waiting and there he was right in front of me. The people around me were screaming and my ears started ringing, but it didn’t matter much. I stood there calmly smiling, thanking God for this incredible gift.

He sang acoustic versions of Up All Night and Invincible, and it was just amazing. I struggled a bit to hear, but really I couldn’t have asked for anything better.

At one point during the show I stood there looking at David and Kari and thought, “Oh, these are the people whom I'm trying to reach out to. I see them but they don't know me; I am just one of David’s many, many fans, and they’re incredibly busy people. But it's fine and I'm content and thankful to just be here.” I really was. But then I heard a quiet whisper in my heart saying, “Krizelle, what did you ask from Me again? Not just see, right? MEET.”

Huh? No way that’s gonna happen.

They were already wrapping up and the black car is getting ready to take them away. At first I tried to get as close to the bus door as I can like everyone else, but then I decided to step back from the pressing crowd and just enjoy those last moments before they leave. They had a long day and I didn’t want to mob David; I was content to just be able to wave goodbye.

So I was just calmly standing there waiting when suddenly the bus door opened and Kari peeked out. She scanned the crowd and pointed at me. Wait, what, me? I had to look around to make sure I wasn’t mistaken. She then looked at me point blank and nodded, yes, you, and motioned to the security personnel guarding the door to let me in.

Confused, shocked, and clueless to what was happening, I stepped into the Wish Bus.

“You’re Zelle?” Kari said. And then I broke down in tears.

Have you ever stopped and thought, “Wow, I prayed for this. It’s here. It’s happening.”?

David quietly stood there, smiling. I…had no idea what to say. I was so clueless that I even forgot to introduce myself and just said, “David, hi!” Hug (internal screaming). Awkward pause. “Um, you were able to receive my messages?”

There was a confused look on his face as he replied, “Messages?” Oh, wait, of course he receives tons of letters and messages. I forget that I am just one out of his millions of fans. I’m just Zelle.

So I backtracked and said, “Oh, I mean…I was trying to reach out to you, if I can somehow thank you personally…” I can't remember exactly what I said now, it was all so surreal! But I did explain to him that I have NF2 and that it causes tumors to grow on the hearing nerves. That I love music and I love singing, so having my hearing slowly taken away has been devastating, to say the least. That I certainly love his music, and I was afraid that I won’t get to hear him sing again, so I thanked him for putting out his new album and for coming here at just the right time.

I then took his hand, looked straight into his eyes, and told him what I really wanted to tell him the most: I thanked him for being the person that he is, for his messages that really inspire and uplift people especially those who are going through very difficult times like I am.

David was incredibly patient and he listened intently as I spoke. It was a bit hard as I'm not able to tell if anyone else in the room was trying to talk to me at the time, but they just let me say what I had to say. I’m tearing up again just remembering how gracious they all were.

David’s face got all serious when I told him about the hearing problem. He told me to trust that God is with me and is taking care of me, and that he's praying for me. Oh my heart, to hear those words. Thank you David.

Kari then asked if I wanted a picture with David. I didn’t have the presence of mind to even think of that, so I’m glad she did. I then hugged her and tearfully thanked her for being the angel that she is! I turned to David again to thank him and hug him again one last time, and also thanked everyone else in the room before hopping off the Wish Bus.

When the black tinted car left, I found my sister in the dispersing crowd and we were both weeping. She got off from work a bit late and caught the show right when they were just about to wrap it up. She told me she spotted me in the same moment Kari pointed at me, and she instinctively knew what was up. “OH MY GOD YOU’RE MEETING HIM I’M SO HAPPY FOR YOU” she texted me at the time. Apparently she was also secretly racking her brain all week, trying to come up with a way to let me meet David. I never even told her or anyone that I really wanted to; she just knew me too well, haha.

I still can't wrap my head around the fact that God had granted me this incredible blessing of meeting David, that I’ve been touched by angels that roam the earth! Many questions still hung in my head afterwards: How did they know I was gonna be there? How did Kari even know who I was in that crowd? Did David even have a clue (I still can’t get over not saying who I was and his confused reaction when I mentioned the letters)?

To which my sister said, “Shush. If it’s meant to happen, it will happen.” God hears, he heals, he knows, he orchestrates.

And indeed it all happened oh so perfectly.

You can view the rest of my photos from the Wish Bus guesting here, and videos here.

SHINE A LIGHT
Concert day. I won’t talk too much about it aside from the fact that David is clearly the best version of himself right now. The wait was long but it was so worth it. He has found his own person and it really shows in his new music and in his humble confidence as he took the stage that night.

Postcards in the Sky is his best work yet, and I couldn’t be prouder as a fan. He’s taking the spotlight down but his inner light just shines so bright that in truth, he doesn’t need it at all. David has made it a point that it really is not all about him though. It’s about giving to others, serving other people, connecting with them, and connecting to God himself.

All things really work together for the good. Thank you for strengthening my faith in God and for filling my heart with hope in this dark time, David. Even if I may lose my hearing one day, your messages and music from this visit will certainly remain in my heart forever.

You can shine a light, see that sun peak out
It’s burning bright, never gonna hide at all
When it gets hard, look into yourself
And see who you are, cause there’s a light shining in you

Maraming salamat and keep on shining that light, David.

You can view the rest of my sister's photos from the concert here (edits are mine, mostly), and watch my playlist of David's concert at the Kia Theatre here.

But wait, yes, one last thing! Scroll down... _________________________________________________________________________________

At this point, I would like to go with David's message of speaking up and letting your voice be heard to Shine a Light on NF.

What I've been through - what I'm going through - isn't anything special. There are plenty of others in the NF community who have gone through so much more than I have. And it is the resilience and strength that I've witnessed in these people, some of who have looked death itself in the eye, that inspires me to keep fighting and keep living. These friends whom I've met in the neurofibromatosis community, both local and abroad, are the reason why I want to do whatever I can to help #EndNF. It is not an easy battle, but I am not alone in this fight. As my fellow NF2-er and friend Kcat Yarza said,

"I am very grateful because God put me in this kind of battle; a battle that HE is a part of."

I dreamed to meet David and it happened. But the real Dream is that one day, no person would ever have to suffer from symptoms or loss of a loved one again due to NF.

Neurofibromatosis or NF is an umbrella medical term for three genetic conditions characterized by multiple benign nervous system tumors: NF1, NF2, and schwannomatosis. What I have is the rarer type, neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2), which affects around 1 in 25,000 individuals.

The hallmark symptoms of NF2 are benign (non-cancerous) tumors that grow on the cranial nerves which carry sound and balance information from the inner ear to the brain. Since it affects both ears, people with NF2 often experience partial or complete hearing loss, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), and balance problems. Individuals with NF2 also frequently develop other benign tumors in the brain and along the spine, which could lead to seizures, weakness, numbness, and paralysis in different parts of the body if left unchecked.

At the moment, there is no cure for NF. Diagnosis is usually followed by a watch-and-wait approach if the tumors do not present any immediate danger to the patient. Currently, the only treatment options available for NF2-associated tumors include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. However, research being funded by the Children’s Tumor Foundation (CTF) and its partners is ongoing to identify improved candidate drug therapies that could lead to further treatments for NF2, such as those that enable the shrinking or stopping of the growth of NF2-associated tumors.

The Children's Tumor Foundation is a US-based nonprofit medical foundation and is the leading organization dedicated to raising funds for NF research worldwide. The banner featured above is from their recently concluded New York benefit gala, which was themed Shine A Light on NF. Its design is also curiously reminiscent of the themes of Postcards in the Sky… Perhaps David could perform at their gala night one day? 😉

For more information about NF and to learn how you can volunteer or donate to help us in the fight to #EndNF, check out the Children’s Tumor Foundation at http://www.ctf.org.