Never underestimate the power of positivity. That’s what Kelly Schneider learned when giving a gift to a close friend.
Schneider, in partnership with a recording studio, has created a CD that has reached far beyond anything she could have ever imagined. Schneider was approached by her close friend’s daughter, Heather Serafin, to make a CD that would help her through her DIPG brain cancer treatments. Although the request was simple, the impact was unbelievable.
“She just requested something that she could listen to while she was getting treatment because she didn’t like what they had in the hospital, and at that time I was doing voice work. And I said, ‘Sure, I’ll put that together for you,’” Schneider said.
This gift to Heather Serafin was specifically crafted for her needs and interests.
“She actually previewed, step-by-step, and I would bring the work to her and let her hear it. Basically, all it is is scripture set to ambient music, and it’s very therapeutic in the way that people are using it,” Schneider said.
This one good deed for a close friend turned into something much greater than what it was intended for. This CD has shown Schneider never to sell short a gift.
“Never underestimate the one good thing that you do. Just the one good thing. I will never give up on the one good thing because you just don’t know what kind of thing to do with it,” Schneider said. “We never, ever imagined that this one good thing we did as a gift was going to be around the world. This CD is actually an international piece of work now.”
Schneider’s CD that was made for just one person is now being used in countries like Germany, Sweden, Australia, Puerto Rico, and Africa. Although it was made for cancer treatment relief, it is now being used for all kinds of therapies and treatments.
“We used the CD at another place called True North Stables. It reaches out to kids who have emotional challenges, and out of that counselors got ahold of it,” Schneider said. “Counselors started using it with kids and families, and a woman reached out to me who is an artist who does art therapy with women who come out of sex trafficking. She uses it now and plays it while the girls do art therapy. So, it is doing a million things. Just that one good thing that you see through can do so many things that you never even thought that it would do and you didn’t even need to leave your town!”
Heather’s mother, Beth Serafin, has been an incredible supporter of Schneider’s CD and has contributed to the spread of her work. Beth Serafin puts a CD in every order that she fills and shares Schneider’s gift with every family who works with The H Life, a foundation dedicated to Heather Serafin and helping families dealing with DIPG. Beth Serafin shares this with the families as a gift from Heather to show support through difficult times.
“I’m a Hoosier housewife from Indiana. Who thought that anything I say would ever touch anybody past the Midwest? But when you do something for God, you do something for good, it launches itself. So here we are, still using it today.”
Schneider’s and Heather Serafin’s CD will eventually be formatted to MP3 so that even more people can receive their gift and positivity.