Hoda Kotb to make music video with sick kids

Hoda Kotb has made it her mission this year to lift the spirits of kids struggling with cancer.

As part of the Today show's year-long Shine A Light initiative, Kotb has announced she will work with St. Jude's Children's hospital, where she had a revelatory experience several years ago.

"I remember thinking, what's happening?" she said, recalling her first visit to St. Jude's in Memphis. "My heart was breaking, and then five minutes later, I'm with these kids who were kids. These kids who were playing."

Kotb said she was particularly drawn to working with children.

"As a cancer survivor myself, I know what it feels like as a grownup, and what a struggle it is," she said. "But what I can't even fathom, even now, is what it feels like to be a kid ... struggling with this grown-up disease, something they shouldn't have to deal with. And all you want to do is reach out and help and hug."

In an effort to lift the spirits of the children and their families struggling with cancer, Kotb will work with the young patients at St. Jude's to make a music video. She hopes the video which will feature a "big, uplifting anthem," will spread a message of hope to sick children across the country.