Cool Things From My Friends - Caitlin Cusack

Recently, I tuned in for Caitlin Cusack’s birthday stream on Facebook, which on its face just sounds like supporting yet another friend displaced from during this pandemic crisis. However, the 150+ viewers that tuned in were all there not just to wish her well, but to celebrate a victory that has been two years in the making. She performed a program of songs, accompanying herself on piano, that centered on “Love, Loss, and Navigating Change” that directly reflected her extremely difficult past few years, with a digital program and a new website detailing things for the viewers. Some were favorite covers, like “I Feel The Earth Move” by Carole King or “Wonderful World” by Sam Cooke, but the probably 80% of the program included all new, original works crafted over the past couple of years.Some quick background: I’ve known Caitlin Cusack since my undergrad days at Grand Valley State University. We were both in Giuseppe Lupis’ piano studio until she switched her focus to more singing, musical theater, and working with choirs. When she graduated, she was directing singers, performing in productions, and doing public relations work with the performing arts center. 

All of the work she was involved in abruptly came to a halt two years ago when on stage during a performance she fell and suffered a concussion. Now, in my naivety, I hear “concussion” and think “okay, she’ll recover, it’s not like she’s a football player.” However, that one concussion was enough to cause significant pain while limiting her brain’s ability to function. Soon, she was solely focused on therapy, unable to work, sing/play for more than a few minutes, and enjoy life as she once did. While she was figuring out how to achieve some sense of normalcy, her mother, Mary Cusack, a beloved member of the Ionia music community for decades, ended up hospitalized due to a cancer she was only made aware of two weeks prior to her passing. The community came together to celebrate her life, and May 17th is now known as “Mary Cusack Day” for her years of service. 

So as you can imagine, this was an insanely difficult time for Caitlin and no one would have blamed her for taking a year to withdraw from the world in her recovery efforts now combined with grieving. However, she worked hard to not only honor her mother with some wonderful songs, but to overcome the odds and be able to perform two sets of music! Going from being unable to play or sing to being able to perform a collection of new songs shows a huge step forward, and as she mentioned in her stream, change is going to come and we all need to learn how to deal with change. Caitlin’s birthday stream is still archived if you want to hear her performance (see below), and she has another concert planned for June! She will also be live on May 17th at 1 pm EST tomorrow for a livestreamed performance of some new songs to honor her mother’s new holiday. There’s so much to celebrate this week in her life, and if you listen to her new music, let her know what you think!

Mary Cusack Day Proclamation