Awesome musical trio. A song to get us through challenges

A Kirkland resident, whose son is living with autism, has helped compose a song with the help of her three children and her brother’s band as a way to connect people through music and help them with life’s challenges. 

Nicki Cunningham was inspired by her son, who was diagnosed with autism in Grade 6 and is now 19 years old. “I was trying to understand the world through his eyes,” she said. “He was really suffering and couldn’t verbalize what he was feeling.” 

The song, called “Daily Dose,” was released on YouTube in 2022 as the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions were waning. “At the time, I also noticed friends experiencing their own challenges with their children with various conditions and kept this in mind when writing the lyrics,” Cunningham said. 

“These things don’t go away. Flexibility is key. You’re going to have to work with it and modify things. You have to ride the waves.” 

The song was repurposed to help with fundraising for Autism Speaks Canada 2023. 

Whether it be obsessive compulsive disorder, dyslexia, Tourette syndrome, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder or anxiety, the video is beautifully shot with a message that we are all yearning for connection. We need to breathe, work together and be able to put these conditions and diseases behind us, the lyrics say. 

“The song is intended for anyone who can identify with life’s challenges, [like] a sudden onset diagnosis of illness such as cancer, decline in cognitive abilities, dementia, divorce or sudden loss,” said Cunningham. 

The main voice on the video is Montreal singer Megan Griffin, who sings in Cunningham’s brother’s band, Oliver Forest. That brother, Josh, produced the song. Her other brother Shawn, along with her childhood friend Christina Thompson, make up the harmonies in the choir sound. 

“I wanted to focus on something people could hear, feel emotionally on the inside and be touched or moved enough to share with others,” said Cunningham. 

All three of her children (she also has two daughters, aged 16 and 21) were involved in choosing footage for the YouTube video and providing feedback along the way. 

The result is a gorgeous montage of people dealing with various issues and their accompanying frustrations, with a message of hope and overcoming challenges together at the end. 

Click here to watch “Daily Dose.”