Responding to a Piece of Literary Journalism

"A Cancer - Surviving Composer's Extraordinary Movement" by Gustavo Solis tells the incredible story of Anthony Ptak; a well respected jazz musician and music professor at NYU. 2010, was the year everything went wrong for Ptak.  He was unable to play a piece that he once played so easily. At first, he thought he was rusty but no matter how hard he practiced, he still couldn’t get through the piece. Everything felt a bit off for Ptak. Over the course of weeks, Ptak had trouble multitasking, remembering things and ultimately walking. Doctors initially thought Ptak was suffering from a stroke, but then discovered Ptak actually had a brain tumor.  At the hospital, he struggled from keeping the cancer from controlling his brain. By the start of 2011, it had weakened the left side of his body, but they didn’t stop Ptak from pursuing his music. Ptak found out that there was  a piano in the basement, the hospital staff would roll his wheelchair in front of the piano so he could play. Ptak was on steroids, apart for treatment. The drugs strengthened his left hand so he was able to play. November 2011, Ptak’s cancer went into remission. After leaving the cancer ward, Ptak played during open mic nights at a cafe. He was no longer on steroids, but he still performed without  the use of his left arm. Ptak learned to adapt.  

This piece was very inspiring. Though Ptak was diagnosed with brain cancer and lost the ability to use the left side of his body he still continued to play his music. Ptak would sometimes overhear negative comments about his music. He wasn’t able to play as well as he once did without the use of his left arm. However, Ptak adapted to the new sound of his music and embraced the fact that people could hear his struggles within his music. He actually liked that people could hear him struggle through his music because in a way it represented his struggle of fighting against cancer.  The opening lines of this piece grabbed my attention, “Being in the cancer ward felt a bit like being in a jazz ensemble. The doctor controlled the tempo like a drummer, the nurses cheered him up like the trumpets, and the screaming patients sent shivers down his spine like the crashing cymbals.”  I thought it was interesting and quite genius to compare Ptak’s hospital experience to a jazz performance. During his time in the hospital the only thing Ptak wanted to do was play the piano and perform again. Yet, his experience in the cancer ward was similar to a jazz performance. The doctors played the role of the drummer, the nurses cheered Ptak up like trumpets and the screaming patients were a lot like crashing cymbals. 

Gustavo Solis did an amazing job of capturing Ptak’s story. This piece represents determination and courage. Though, Ptak was diagnosed with brain cancer it did not stop him from living out his dreams or stop him from doing what his loved; playing the piano and performing. Ptak will never play the piano the way he once did, but he learned to adapt to only having the ability to use one side of his body. Ptak’s music may sometimes receive negative comments but he continues to play the piano. This should be an inspiration to all. If theres something you love to do, go for it and don’t stop for any challenges that may come your way. 

You can read about Anthony Ptak's amazing story here.
http://narrative.ly/cheating-death/cancer-surviving-composers-extraordinary-movement/