The profoundest non-chemical medication.....

Recently my work with NMPAT (www.nmpat.co.uk) has afforded me the opportunity to support young children in hospital. Some of these children are on a short stay, whilst others are in for longer due to quite serious illness. Bless their hearts.

Recently my work with NMPAT (www.nmpat.co.uk) has afforded me the opportunity to support young children in hospital. Some of these children are on a short stay, whilst others are in for longer due to quite serious illness. Bless their hearts.

May I start by praising the work of the nursing staff at Kettering Hospital, and the work of so many medical professionals across the country. I've always said it takes a certain kind of person to show the constant care, love, patience, and compassion that these wonderful people show on a daily basis. They truly are remarkable people - especially when one of the staff members told me they had been working on this same ward, with poorly children, for over 20 years. Wow! Truly amazing.

Personally, to have the chance to use music in so many ways to encourage, entertain, support, and impact people's lives is a wonderful privilege. But, to be able to visit a Children's Ward and help bring a smile to the faces of children, their parents, and the staff is by far the greatest honour I have experienced for a long while now. The music may not be able to take away all their suffering, but if it can put a little smile on someone's face, a little joy in the heart, a little hope to look ahead, and a little more strength to keep going, then it's all worth it.

I love quotes, and I think this one below captures what I'm trying to say very well:

"The power of music to integrate and cure. . . is quite fundamental. It is the profoundest nonchemical medication." - Oliver Sacks, Awakenings