The British philosopher Allan Watts once said, “Man suffers only because he takes seriously what the gods made for fun.”

What Watts meant by that quote is that humans tend to over analyze and over value things to the point of depression.

Watts believed that people should go out and enjoy their lives and live it to its fullest, as life can end at any given moment. Most people tend to forget that life is not guaranteed nor will one live forever.

There is no greater example of appreciating how fragile and short life can be than the heartwarming story of a young musician by the name of Haven.

At 23 years old, Haven is a music producer and college student at Duke University who persevered and overcame a battle with cancer, and most recently was accepted into medical school.

https://soundcloud.com/a_safe_haven/hotline-bling-haven-bootleg

Born in the New York borough of the Bronx, Haven and his family lived in a few different locations before ultimately settling overseas to Stockholm, Sweden. There, he attended both middle and high school before returning to the States to study biology at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

Haven’s academic career was suddenly cut short when he was diagnosed with leukemia and was forced to take leave from school.

“When I got sick, it was pretty crazy, it was life changing to say the least. When you walk to the edge of life and stare into the abyss of death, you appreciate life. Now I appreciate every day because I know how fragile life is, that I could leave at any second,” Haven said in an interview on Twitter.

“Most people walk around assuming they’ll live tomorrow, but everyone realizes how precious life is at the end, when they get sick, usually on their death-bed. Eventually, everyone knows how amazing life is, but for most, it comes too late.”

When asked about his emotions and initial thoughts upon his diagnosis with leukemia, Haven said, “I was definitely scared, but going through something like that gives you a sense of control, sort of like, ‘Ok I have to do this, no time for remorse or grief.'”

“I didn’t really grieve or process what was happening until much later, after my recovery when I was able to breathe and reflect on what happened. My family was afraid for me, but they were really supportive,” Haven said.

For those unaware, leukemia is a cancer of blood cells and is sometimes referred to as blood cancer. Although the exact cause of leukemia is not known, some risk factors include radiation exposure.

People who are diagnosed with leukemia often encounter symptoms such as pain in the bones or joints, fevers or night sweats, feeling weak or tired and weight loss or loss of appetite.

“When you’re sick with cancer, you need mental care and physical care. Apart from the hospital fighting my physical fight, I needed friends and family for the love and mental fight,” Haven said.

“Most people get depressed, anxious and stressed with cancer so it’s best to acknowledge that you are stressed out so that you can find tools to work with depression and stuff. Now that I’ve gathered a tool set for dealing with depression and sadness, it’s much easier for me to return to a content mindset and not let little things bother me.”

After intense chemotherapy and a long road to recovery, Haven received a bone marrow transplant and has not had to worry about leukemia ever since. He was able to do some work in the hospital and earned his bachelor’s degree last year.

“I’ve had a lot of health bumps on the road to recovery, but I’m just glad I’m alive,” Haven said.

When asked about his current status, Haven stated that he is fully healthy, however, due to the exposure of radiation during chemotherapy, he developed secondary cancers and his organs are damaged.

But none of these obstacles have stopped Haven from accomplishing his career goals and continuing to make music, something that helped him tremendously during his battle with leukemia.

Haven officially began making music in high school, however he was always interested in music ever since he started playing piano at the age of three. He became classically trained in both piano and guitar, and also minored in music composition.

After experimenting with the Apple music software Garageband in high school, Haven began taking music seriously when he got to Duke and started producing with Logic Pro, another Apple product.

Since then, Haven has released music on a frequent basis, collaborating with other musicians worldwide and obtaining over 11,500 followers on his Soundcloud page. He has also become an inspiration to many new artists and always supports them as much as he can, gaining the respect of many artists throughout the Soundcloud community for his genuine personality.

About a year ago, London based producer HVRXLD asked Haven to join his music collective, Lethe, comprised of many talented and like-minded producers, such as Vassh, Glo and Ajgor.

“I loved it because we have a different sound. That sound has kind of taken over now and since then I’ve been invited into Numerals and Wavemob,” Haven said.

It’s hard to classify Haven’s music through various genres, however it can be best described as a mixture of ambient and chill, which has recently been labeled as “wave”.

“I’ve always been influenced by Stumbleine and Rustie, both beautiful music and hard-as-f**k music. And that’s what I always try to create something beautiful as f**k but also hard as f**k,” Haven said.

A great example of this can be found on Haven’s track “I’m Done, We’re Through,” in which he flips Florida rapper Kodak Black’s “Skrt” track by adding atmospheric ambience chords, reverb-filled background vocals and his own percussion’.

https://soundcloud.com/a_safe_haven/im-done-were-through

“I am inspired by shoegaze, lo-fi, movie music, ambient, and good old trap music. I will play Gucci Mane until I die lol,” Haven said about his other inspirations behind his music.

Despite the worldwide positive reception to his music, Haven intends to pursue a career in medicine rather than entering the industry.

“Music has never been a life-long goal for me,” Haven said. “I have a lot of friends in the industry and I see how lucrative it is. One day, you’re popular and making money, and the next day, your [sic] unpopular and have no job. I always knew music would be just a hobby, and I’ve always tried to pursue a career that would guarantee me a paycheck.”

Although Haven plans to continue to make music, he does not intend to fully commit to it as he nears the end of his academic studies.

“My only music goals right now are just to use it as therapy and to help my friends get recognition. I definitely won’t stop completely, but I can’t commit to anything after the fall,” Haven said.

“I will mostly just make music on my breaks but music has and always will be my primary stress relief. Whenever I come home and it’s been a long day, I always have my keyboard to put some emotions into,” Haven said.

Having battled cancer and using music as his therapy, Haven will now finish his Master’s in biology with a concentration in immunology this summer before beginning medical school in the fall.

“Medicine has always been an interest to me, but I never took it seriously until I was in the hospital and saw how medicine in the West works,” Haven said in response to why he wants to become a medic.

“My goals right now are to become a transplant oncologist, discover new ways to use stem cell transplants, and eventually contribute to helping save as many lives as I can; and reduce suffering of those where I can,” Haven said.

While his faith is strong, Haven knows he won’t live past a certain age. He acknowledges this fact and intends to make as much of a difference in this world that he can, and leave an impact on those around him.

His story is a reminder to those struggling through depression, setbacks, and illness that anything is possible and to appreciate every moment and breath taken in life.

You can listen to Haven’s music on his Soundcloud page below.

https://soundcloud.com/a_safe_haven