A song for mom

Singer’s relationship with mom deepens after diagnosis of rare cancer



FAMILY—Travis Dow, left, his wife, Katie Dow; his mother, Madeleine Dow; and his brother, Christopher Dow, enjoy the warm Santa Barbara weather during a family trip in 2011 before Travis was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer.

FAMILY—Travis Dow, left, his wife, Katie Dow; his mother, Madeleine Dow; and his brother, Christopher Dow, enjoy the warm Santa Barbara weather during a family trip in 2011 before Travis was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer.

Madeleine Dow has what she calls a “motherly sense” about things, especially when it comes to her son, Travis.

The intuition has served the 68-year-old Camarillo woman and her son well. It helped the mother of two to realize six years ago that Travis and his exgirlfriend Katie were meant to be together.

More importantly, it helped Madeleine realize that her 40-year-old son’s leg injury earlier this year was more serious than the infection that was diagnosed by a doctor—an insight that may save Travis’ life.

‘Wanted to be with her’

Despite the fact that Travis had broken up with Katie, Madeleine felt the two were meant to be together.

In 2006, Travis and his mother helped Katie move from one apartment to another in Chicago. Madeleine saw a romantic spark between the pair and suggested that Travis reconsider his rela- tionship with Katie.

“I just knew that he really wanted to be with her,” Madeleine said.

Travis called his mom a few days later and told her he was back together with Katie, 33. The couple were married in Georgia five years ago.

Warning signs

Travis and Katie moved to Nashville last year, where Katie managed a fashion boutique and Travis worked as a property manager while he pursued his career as a songwriter. Travis performed up and down Nashville’s Music Row, the epicenter of country music.

In December, Travis noticed some back pain, but he wasn’t too concerned until his leg started to swell, making it hard for him to walk his dog, climb stairs and drive his truck.

Doctors thought Travis had an infection and treated the swelling with antibiotics. Travis didn’t question the diagnosis.

“People just believe what the doctor tells you to do,” he said.

Madeleine, a retired psychiatric nurse, felt something might be seriously wrong with her son and jumped on a plane to join him in Nashville.

She urged Travis’ doctors to run more tests.

A CT scan in February showed a large mass in Travis’ abdomen, and a subsequent biopsy revealed that he had Burkitt’s lymphoma, a rare and aggressive type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that puts him at great risk.

Twenty-four hours after the diagnosis, Madeleine got in touch with a network of healthcare workers and had Travis admitted to the City of Hope, a Los Angeles-based hospital known for its cancer center.

“I thought I knew what heartache was, but I didn’t until I saw my son suffering the way he’s suffering now,” said Madeleine, who’s opened her Camarillo home to Travis and Katie while he undergoes treatment.

Mother’s Day

Travis and his family are adjusting to the cancer treatment and living together again, a diffi cult adjustment for Travis, who said he has always been independent.

“It’s strange because I haven’t lived even near my parents for the last 10 years and now I’m living with them,” Travis said.

Despite the difficult circumstances, they’re glad they’ll be together on Mother’s Day this Sunday at the family’s Camarillo home.

To help pay the rising hospital bills, Travis recently released a song, “Mama,” that he recorded in 2010 as a Christmas gift for Madeleine.

Madeleine and Travis relate to the song’s country melody and simple lyrics.

She said it’s a fitting gift for Mother’s Day.

“(The song) touched me in a very different way,” Madeleine said. “I could actually feel his feelings through his voice. It’s all stuff that really happened in our lives.”

What has Madelieine’s motherly sense told her about the present situation?

“I’ve thought about it a lot, and it’s something that I meditate on, and I believe that my son has a very strong and intense soulful inspiration that will get him through this trial because his voice will not be silenced.”

“Mama” is available at travisdow.com.