Find Your Light- Stepping Back into Purpose After Breast Cancer

Find Your Light: A Journey of Healing and Return

From Darkness to Light

One year ago today, I was lying in a hospital bed—weak, exhausted, and battling sepsis after an unexpected post-surgery infection. It was one of the scariest moments of my life. I remember staring at the ceiling, questioning when I would feel like myself again, wondering if my body would ever stop fighting battles I didn’t ask for.

But today? Today, I step onto the stage at the Cobb Energy Centre, in perfect health—grounded, strong, and overflowing with gratitude. This past year has been about more than just healing. It has been about rediscovering myself and reclaiming the parts of me that cancer tried to take away.

Rediscovering My Voice: Music as Home

Music has always been my home, my safe place, the space where I feel most like me. But when cancer entered my life, it paused everything. My energy went toward survival, not song. And while I never doubted I would sing again, there were moments—especially in that hospital bed—when it felt so very far away.

This past year, I dedicated myself to healing my body, nurturing my soul, and finding my way back to the thing that sets me free—singing. As I stood backstage during tech week, emotions washed over me. Tech week—the week where everything becomes real—brought a wave of gratitude, but also fear. Could I still do this? Would I still belong here after everything my body had been through?

Facing Fear with Support: A Moment of Belonging

On that first day on set, as I prepared to make my entrance, I froze. Shaking, with tears in my eyes, I questioned my ability to step back into this space. Then, my beautiful colleagues surrounded me—lifting me up, holding space for me, and reminding me that I was exactly where I was meant to be. Their kindness and belief in me meant more than words can express.

In that moment, I realized that I wasn’t just stepping back into a role—I was stepping back into myself. I felt the weight of everything I had endured: the surgeries, the uncertainty, the endless days of recovery. Yet, here I was—stronger, wiser, and more grateful than ever.

Cancer’s Transformation: From Breaking to Refining

Cancer changed me, but it did not break me. It refined me. It forced me to step fully into who I am, to strip away fear, and to embrace every moment with an open heart.

If you are facing the dark night of the soul—in a hospital bed, struggling with a diagnosis, or wondering when you will feel like yourself again—know this: There is light on the other side. You are not lost. You are becoming. The struggle, the pain, the waiting—it is shaping you into someone even more powerful than before.

One day, you will look back and see that this moment did not define you—it refined you. When you step into your next chapter, you will shine even brighter than before.

Gratitude and Purpose: Stepping Back on Stage

Tonight, as I step onto the stage, I do so with deep gratitude—for my health, for my family, for my colleagues who lifted me up, and for every person who has been part of this journey.

Most of all, I am grateful for the gift of music, which waited patiently for my return. And I am profoundly thankful to The Atlanta Opera for believing in me and welcoming me back with open arms.

I am here. I am whole. And I am exactly where I am meant to be.

An Invitation to Find Your Light

If you’re navigating your own path through pain or uncertainty, know that your light is still within you. You have the strength to reclaim yourself and your purpose. Keep moving forward, one step at a time. You are stronger than you think. You are becoming. The light that you’ve been looking for never left you, It was simply waiting for you to see it.

Kate Fain, Founder of Find Your Light