BOSTON (WHDH) - One of the world’s most talented musicians is able to share his gift again after a battle with throat cancer.
In 2017, doctor’s delivered an earthshattering diagnosis to told Boston Symphony Orchestra oboist Keisuke Wakao and told him that he may never be able to play again.
At the beginning of his treatment, doctors recommended he undergo a surgery that would have effectively ended his career.
“I didn’t think in the beginning about my career,” Wakao said. “I just wanted to live.”
But specialists at Dana Farber Cancer Institute came up with an aggressive treatment plan so he had a greater chance of returning to the orchestra.
While Wakao was in the hospital, his daughter played violin for him, hoping the power of music would help heal him.
“I really wanted to help my dad,” Keila Wakao said. “I’m not a doctor or anything, but I helped him using my life, using my talents to bring his spirits up.”
After more than 30 rounds of treatment, his doctors pushed him to play the oboe to show that he could eventually play at a professional level again.
Wakao said although going through treatment was difficult, he’s grateful he got through it.
“The experience I had at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute during that terrible treatment I must say was the most wonderful experience of my life,” he said. “It was difficult but it was a meaning of being living on the Earth.”
Now, he is overcoming the odds to play with his family again, and with time, he may be able to perform on stage.
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