Pianist Joins Practitioners of the Healing Arts

To most of us, it sounds like the plot of a B movie: successful concert pianist is involved in an accident, fractures arm and wrist in fourteen places, temporarily loses the use of his left arm, undergoes painful and extended operations and rehabilitation, and emerges triumphant from doubt and despair to resume his career. House lights on, exit the theater with tears still running down the cheeks.

For OHSU patient Mark Westcott however, recovery two years ago from such an accident was the overture, not the finale, to a second nightmare. Almost immediately after his successful rehabilitation, Westcott was diagnosed with a recurrent nasal malignancy that refused to respond to conservative treatment. When it became clearer that a more radical approach was needed, he was referred to OHSU's Department of Otolaryngology, surgeon Ted Cook, M.D., and patient advocate Barbary Glidewell.

From this mix of ethicist, pianist and sensitive medical care came the offer from Westcott to perform a benefit recital for OHSU's Center for Ethics in Health Care. The event, held in the OHSU auditorium on Sunday, April 2, provided not only the platform for some exceptional music, but also the opportunity to introduce the work of the Ethics Center to a wider audience. For Westcott, the recital was one more step on the road to a career recovered. To the spellbound listeners, music was briefly added to the list of the healing arts practiced on the Hill.

By Mark Kernball, 1993

Copied by Ben Serna-Grey