Dolly Parton is always one to bring a smile to people’s faces, and she lit up the room when she visited with young patients at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville recently. She also offered a generous donation to the hospital.
“The reason I’m here today is because I have a very special reason to be fond of this hospital,” Parton tells those gathered in the above clip, explaining how her niece Hannah Dennison was diagnosed with Leukemia as a child and received treatment at Vanderbilt hospital for four years before going into remission.
The legend’s visit with patients took place while she was promoting her children’s album, I Believe in You, in October of 2017, and she welcomed her sister Rachel and Hannah to the stage to talk about their experience.
While Parton’s niece, Hannah, was undergoing treatment, the superstar would write songs to help lift her and her family’s spirits. “When Hannah was sick, we felt it was really important, the rest of the family, that we did something to help Rachel and Richard in their journey,” Parton explains. “So I love the music of course, so I wrote the songs and I used to put together little songs with Hannah’s friends and our little cousins so Hannah had something to listen to.”
Now 28, Hannah is the inspiration behind two songs on I Believe in You: “Chemo Hero” and “Brave Little Soldier.”
“I know that it’s so important to take care of children whether they’re sick or whether they’re well, especially when you’re not feeling good,” the legendary country star says. In addition to providing the children with the joy of music, Parton also announced that she’s donating $1 million to the hospital that gave so much to her niece and family.
All proceeds from album sales of I Believe in You go toward Parton’s longtime charity, the Imagination Library.
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