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Jesse Santana began chemotherapy in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The world had locked down, and Santana was forced to shut in following his T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia diagnosis. The isolated days bled together as he watched his hair fall out and his face swell. At times, it was hard to recognize himself in the mirror.
At these low points, making music helped him stay hopeful, says Santana, better known as the Aurora rapper Resrface…