Grammy-winning singer Chaka Khan talked about the impact of visiting a children’s cancer center in Atlanta on Friday at Variety‘s Power of Women event presented by Lifetime.

The singer was recognized for her philanthropic work with Little Kids Rock, a national organization providing music material for public schools. She went on to acknowledge Disney-ABC executive Dana Walden for her work with UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

I just love to sing. Singing is my sanity. When I’m not singing and creating, I’m hurting myself. And it’s not been easy. And, it still isn’t. But I love it so much, and I love children so much. Dana was talking about the cancer treatment and cancer patients and her mother. I applaud you and your family for going through that,” Khan said.

“I visit children in hospitals, little kids with cancers and dread diseases. If you really want to get a fix on what’s going on, do that. I was really scared the first one I went to. It was a really big, great hospital down south in Atlanta. And, I went in there, and I was like, ‘Oh my god. I’m going to see these kids — I’m going to want to kill myself.’ I went in there, these kids were bouncing off the freaking frack wall. They were so full of life.”

Seeing the children and having personal exchanges with them really had an impact on Khan.

They are so wise and beautiful. And this really leveled me out when I started doing that. I started seeing what life is really about. At my age, now I see how short it is and how much needs to be done,” Khan said. 

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