To ONE OK ROCK,
I don’t think any of you will ever truly understand how much your music saved my life.
I was diagnosed with cancer in 2024, exactly a few days after my mom’s second death anniversary and the hardest part was knowing it was the same illness that took my mom away from me in 2022.
When my doctor told me I had cancer, I didn’t cry.
I didn’t panic.
I didn’t even ask, “Why me?”
I was ready.
But the thing that truly broke my heart was realizing that I no longer had my mom beside me the person who would have held my hand, comforted me, and told me everything would be okay.
When I got diagnosed with the same illness that took her away from me, the pain of losing her suddenly came back all over again.
I kept thinking about how badly I needed her during that moment.
How badly I wanted to hear her voice one more time.
How badly I wanted someone to tell me I was going to survive this.But even after she was gone, one thing she always told me continued living inside my heart:
“You need to be strong always.”So I tried.
I tried to become strong the way she wanted me to be.
But honestly… there were nights when I felt myself slowly breaking apart inside.
Cancer changed everything about me. It took away the version of myself that used to smile without forcing it. It turned my nights into silent battles filled with fear, pain, and thoughts I was too terrified to say out loud. There were moments when I felt trapped inside my own body, exhausted from fighting a battle that never seemed to rest. Some nights became so unbearably heavy that I would cry quietly alone, trying not to let anyone hear the sound of me falling apart.
I was scared of the future ,scared of the pain, scared of slowly losing myself piece by piece.
Then during one of the darkest moments of my life, in December 2025, your music found me.
At that time, my chemotherapy had been on hold for so long, so my doctors switched me to oral chemotherapy instead because the treatment caused another battle inside my body . I developed a heart condition as one of the side effects of the chemo medicine and around that time, Christmas was coming.
Christmas became one of the hardest seasons for me because it constantly reminded me of my mom. The emptiness felt heavier during those nights. I missed her more than words could ever explain. I missed her voice. Her presence. Her comfort. I missed the feeling of having someone who made me feel safe.
Everything inside me felt exhausted.
Physically.
Emotionally.
Mentally.
Then somehow, one night, a song appeared in my YouTube suggestions: Wasted Nights at first, it looked like just another random recommendation.I almost ignored it.
But something deep inside me told me to click it and honestly… that small moment changed my life forever.
The second I listened to it, something inside me broke and healed at the same time. It didn’t feel like I was simply listening to music. It felt like someone had reached directly into the darkness I was hiding in and finally understood the pain I could never explain to anyone else.
The lyrics felt painfully personal.Like the song understood my fear.My loneliness.My exhaustion.My desperate fight to survive.But what hurt me the most in the most beautiful way was the message behind the song.
Wasted Nights felt like an anthem about living before it is too late. About cherishing every second with the people you love. About making memories now instead of waiting for “someday.” While fighting cancer, those lyrics hit me in a way I cannot fully explain because suddenly time no longer felt unlimited to me.
The song reminded me that life is not supposed to be spent only being afraid.
It reminded me to hold onto moments.
To keep living even while hurting.
To keep loving even while scared.
To keep fighting even when tomorrow feels uncertain.
When I heard the words about not being afraid to dive and being more afraid of never trying at all, it felt like the song was speaking directly to my soul. Cancer made me terrified of everything terrified of pain, terrified of treatments, terrified of the future, terrified that my life would only become memories too soon.But your song reminded me that the worst thing would not be failing.The worst thing would be giving up on living while I am still alive.
“Let’s live like we’re immortal maybe just for tonight.”
Those words shattered me emotionally because they reminded me how precious every moment truly is. Fighting cancer taught me how fragile life can become overnight, and your song reminded me that even in fear, life is still worth living fully and when I heard the lyrics about tomorrow becoming memories of tonight, I started realizing that maybe surviving is not only about staying alive physically.
Maybe surviving is also about continuing to feel joy.
Continuing to create memories.Continuing to love life despite the pain.For the first time in a long time… I wanted to live again.
Not just survive.Actually live.
From there, I started listening to more of ONE OK ROCK’s music every single day.During treatments.During hospital visits.
During sleepless nights.During moments when fear became heavier than hope.Little by little, your music helped me breathe again.
Taka’s voice became more than music to me while fighting cancer. On the days when my body felt weak, when the pain became too much, and when fear quietly filled my mind at night, his voice reminded me that I still had strength left inside me. Every scream, every lyric, every emotion carried in his voice felt like someone reaching out their hand and telling me not to give up yet.There were moments when I felt completely exhausted from fighting, physically and emotionally drained from trying to survive every single day, but somehow his voice kept telling me to stay alive one more day.
When I felt like the darkness inside me was becoming heavier than hope, his voice reminded me that there was still a reason to keep breathing.
Toru’s guitar became my comfort during hospital visits and silent breakdowns nobody saw. Every riff carried emotions I could never explain with words. When I felt isolated, scared, and alone in my battle, his music made me feel understood.
It felt like the pain inside my heart was finally being heard without me needing to say anything at all.
His guitar reminded me that even in darkness, there could still be beauty, warmth, and hope.
Ryota’s bass felt like courage. Deep, loud, and steady. There were days when fear became heavier than hope, when I questioned if I was strong enough to keep fighting this illness.
But every bass line felt like a reminder that faith can still exist even in pain.It grounded me whenever my world felt like it was falling apart.It reminded me that even if my body felt weak, my spirit did not have to surrender.
And Tomoya’s drums sounded like my own heartbeat refusing to stop.During treatments, sleepless nights, and moments when I felt completely drained physically and emotionally, those drums reminded me that I was still alive.Still breathing.
Still here.Still fighting.Every beat felt like my heart whispering:
“Keep going.”
“Don’t give up now.”
“You’re still alive.”
Even when cancer made me feel fragile, the sound of those drums reminded me there was still life inside me worth fighting for.
There were moments when cancer made me feel less like a person and more like an illness. Moments when I forgot who I used to be before fear consumed my life. But your music reminded me that I am still human beyond my sickness. Still alive beyond my pain. Still someone worthy of hope, love, and dreams even while fighting the hardest battle of my life.
I know I’m still just a new fan. I only discovered ONE OK ROCK four months ago, in December 2025. Compared to fans who have loved and supported you for years, my journey with your music is still short.
But the truth is…
Your songs reached me during the exact moment I needed saving the most.Some people grow up listening to your music.
I survived because of it.When treatments drained every part of me,your songs gave me strength.
When fear consumed my mind at night, your music gave me comfort.When I felt hopeless, your lyrics gave me reasons to continue fighting.
When I felt completely alone in my pain, your songs stayed beside me like a friend refusing to leave me behind.
Some people will only hear melodies and instruments when they listen to your songs.But I hear survival.I hear comfort.
I hear hope.I hear life.I hear the sound of people unknowingly helping me stay alive during the darkest chapter of my existence.
You did not just become my favorite band.You became part of my healing.Part of my strength.Part of my survival.
Part of the reason I continue moving forward even when life feels unbearably heavy.Cancer may be trying to destroy my body, but your music reminds me every single day that my soul is still alive an d no matter how exhausted I become from fighting this illness, your songs continue to remind me that giving up is not the ending I want for my story.
Thank you for saving parts of me I thought were already gone.
Thank you for staying with me through nights you never even knew existed.Thank you for giving me hope during moments I had none left and thank you for reminding me, through your music, that my heartbeat still deserves to keep going.
As long as my heart is still beating, I will keep fighting.
I will keep living and your music will always be part of the reason why.You may never know me, and maybe you will never read this, but I still want the world and every fan to know how much your music changed my life.You were there for me in moments when nobody could truly understand the pain I was carrying. Because of your music, I kept holding on.
Thank you for becoming a light in one of the darkest parts of my life.
THANK YOU TAKA,TORU,TOMOYA AND RYOTA!
P.S
I started as a fan in December 2025. Then I found out they had an ongoing tour. I bought my ticket for their concert in Manila just one week before the show. 😭 I bought the ticket from someone who couldn’t come that day. I didn’t expect to end up standing right behind the barricade.
