A little over one year ago, in September of 2017, Jo Dee Messina announced that she had been diagnosed with cancer. Her ongoing battle hasn't kept her from recording, though; in fact, the struggles have inspired Messina to dig deep into her spiritual roots and record a new single that echoes the faith she says is carrying her through.

“I’m leaning on God,” Messina tells People. “I’m letting Him take charge. It’s what’s best for my soul right now. Every biopsy and every result … it feels like an eternity goes by. I know that God has me. I’m filled with gratitude and joy.”

In addition to her faith, Messina has found herself relying on her family, with her children -- 9-year-old Noah and 6-year-old Jonah -- seeing both the good and the bad of their mother's fight.

"I let my kids see my weakness as much as I let them see my joy of life," Messina shares. "I want to be a safe place for them. But I have let them see the realness of the pain and the struggle of my surgery.”

Some days, Messina admits, she endures pain while she's in the studio recording. However, she continues to push forward in her daily life and her music as she fights cancer.

“On certain days, it was hard to breathe, and I was barely able to stand up at the microphone," she shares, adding that she doesn't question her path: "I know that I took the road I was supposed to take ... If I look back, I know that God has always been there. I want to make sure that people know that God is good."

Messina returned to the stage and the studio in April, after taking time off for surgery and recovery; she told fans at that time that she was "feeling well." She recently released a new song, "Reckless Love," which follows her new song "Bigger Than This." Messina released her debut studio album, a self-titled project, in 1996; her last studio release, Me, came in 2014.

Country Stars Who Stand Up Against Cancer

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