In 1982 Melissa Etheridge moved from Leavenworth, Kansas to Los Angeles to begin her musical career. After a few years of playing small clubs, Etheridge was hired by A&M Records as a staff songwriter. In 1985 she sent her demo to Olivia Records, a lesbian record label, but was ultimately rejected. She saved the rejection letter, which was signed by "the women of Olivia" and was later featured in "Intimate Portrait", the Lifetime Television documentary on her life.
Etheridge has since released ten albums, several of which have gone multi-platinum, platinum, and gold.
In October 2004 at the age of 43, Etheridge was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent chemotherapy. She later went public with her fight against breast cancer by performing bald at the 2005 Grammy Awards. Her gutsy Grammy appearance paved the way for people to talk more openly about the disease.
Her fight against breast cancer also inspired the creation of the Pink Bracelet Fund http://www.pbfund.org/ which has raised over $200,000 for breast cancer research to date.
On November 15, 2005, Etheridge appeared on the Jay Leno show to perform her song, "I Run For Life" which references her own fight with breast cancer and her determination to overcome it, as well as encourages other survivors and their families. After the performance, Leno told her "Thanks for being a fighter, kiddo."
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