An earlier version of this article incorrectly attributed song lyrics from the Broadway show "Avenue Q" to the band Semisonic. The error has been corrected in this version.
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Downloading Empathy to Your iPod
Justine Saylors with her son, Lance, in 2003, the last year of his life.
(Courtesy of Saylors family)
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"This," according to Slater, "is potentially a watershed moment."
Playlist Therapy
For individuals such as Saylors and Wessel, though, the creation of a playlist marks a much more personal watershed moment. Among the things the two women have in common is that they listen to their own playlists often. It's a form of therapy, they say -- a step toward healing.
"There are times I can listen to them without tears, other times I listen to them when I'm in the grief pit and it allows me to cry," Saylors said. "Doing these iMixes got me through the holiday season."
Wessel listens to "Born to Be an Angel" periodically to check her state of mind.
"I make myself listen to it to put myself in that space," she said. "It's kind of a gauge for me to see where I am, to see what kind of shape I'm in. I can sit back and think about the blessing that I had. If I listen to it 10 times and haven't cried for 10 times, then I know I'm on a pretty good stretch."
And by sharing her gauge online, Wessel is doing her part to help others cope with personal tragedy. "A loss is a loss no matter what," she said, "and I think music can help all losses."
As for Saylors, playlists have helped her do more than get through the holidays. They have given her renewed purpose.
"Ive been obsessed with it, I guess," she said, shortly after publishing "Pediatric Cancer Survivor," a playlist commemorating one neuroblastoma patient's third year of remission. "I felt so bad since Lance died because I hadn't really done anything for the fight. I've been so grief-stricken."
But, she said, " I think since iTunes is so huge, people are seeing these Web sites about kids who are dying of cancer. So that's my goal, to get the word out. This is really one of the first things that's gotten me on a roll."
Parnell is editor of washingtonpost.com.
