This is a heart-warming story which is living proof that music really does have healing power.
20,000 people learned something wonderful that night about brain injury, kindness and how important our words and ideas can be… even when you don’t see the affect it has on others.
11- year old Zumyah Thorpe lost her pregnant mother and two younger sisters in a car accident after they were hit by a drunk driver in 2013. Though she survived, she suffered severe physical injuries, including a traumatic brain injury.
Most patients in this same condition do not survive and those who do are often left without the ability to walk, talk or eat on their own. Doctors have credited Bruno Mars’ music with helping Zumyah do all of those things, after nurses played his songs to her at the hospital every night.
Zumyah’s grandmother Ronda said that not long after coming out of the coma she started singing Mars’ hit song (You’re Amazing) Just The Way You Are.
Doctors say this music therapy is what helped Zumyah recover quicker than most and Bruno’s music is credited with helping to save her life.
After Bruno learned of her amazing story they met privately and then she was invited to his concert in Cleveland, Ohio. He wanted to make sure Zumyah knew she is amazing just the way she is and gave her well-deserved serenade in front of 20,000 fans.
He jumped off the stage and into the crowd where he embraced Zumyah and sang her favorite song ‘Just The Way You Are.’
There were very few dry eyes in the arena after his special dedication to an amazing young lady who showed us that music truly does have healing power.
WORDS AND IDEAS CAN CHANGE THE WORLD!
* Special note ~ The curator of this website also has traumatic brain injury (TBI). The challenges of TBI manifest in many ways. A consistent challenge faced by this population is the compromised ability to process and act on information. I learned that I prefer calming acoustic music because it is a CONTINUOUS wave of energy… it helps with my clarity of thought and calms my mind and heart.
For those that do not have a brain injury, that should give you some idea of how beneficial such music can be for the general population, including you.
If you ever do know someone in a coma, PLEASE keep the chaotic sound to a minimum, keep fluorescent lights off, speak gently and keep physical contact. All of this is registered by the brain and matters a lot in healing while in the coma and after awakening. Routine and calm will become very important elements for the rest of their life to function at their highest potential.
About the project: Instead of “liking” Robin and all that he stood for, you are being invited to be Robin for someone else. Let’s echo an immense legacy and fill the world with MORE love.
Let’s rise to the occasion and show that all the love Robin has given to us mattered in imagining and creating a better world for us all.
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how to participate.