Brandon Dumais is a shining example of the power of music to heal and inspire. Boston television station WCBV-TV recently reported the story of the 30-year-old New Hampshire native, who suffered a life-altering stroke last December, and was left in real bad shape: "It was like instant. I was trying to talk to my dad that night and I couldn't say what happened."
Dumais eventually awake, after spending several weeks at Mass General Hospital on life support, and turned to the music of his favorite band, Shinedown, for support during his recovery. Their music helped him to regain his speech and mobility while attending the Northeast Rehab Hospital, and it gave him the strength to keep going.
Shinedown frontman Brent Smith was moved by Dumais' story, and reached out to offer his support. Smith sent Dumais a personal video and made a generous donation to his GoFundMe recovery page: "It was another human being seeing another human being needing help and if there was a way we could do something to lift him up because you lift us up," Smith explained.
Dumais was also invited to meet Brent backstage the a Shinedown concert on September 23, at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield. "I’ve said this to people my entire life, that music is medicine,” Smith offered during the encounter.
Dumais got to sing with his idol backstage, and later joined his friends, family, and the nurse who helped saving him, to enjoy what probably was the most memorable concert of his life, one that even included a song dedicated to him.
Kudos to Smith for his support of Dumais, whose story is a reminder that music can be a powerful force for good, one that can help us heal, overcome challenges, and find hope.
