subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Sat, Jul 04 2009 

Published: January 16, 2008 10:47 pm    print this story   comment on this story  

Tim Preston: Good teachers change lives forever

I spent only a few minutes with Scott “Piano Man” Brown a couple of days before Christmas, and at the time never imagined I would learn so much from such a brief encounter.

Scott passed away this week. I think everyone who knew him held out some desperate hope he would once again pull through, even though we knew he was, again, facing the inevitable. He was 22 years old.

If you missed his story, Scott faced serious medical problems that first appeared when he was 10 years old. He overcame his early challenges, which included extensive brain surgery to try and remove the massive tumor that had grown in his brain, studied martial arts, played piano and eventually became a college student. If you knew him, you’re well aware that description leaves a lot out.

I got the call from his former stepfather, Mark Breeding, who left a message Tuesday morning saying, “Piano Man has left us. He’s in heaven.”

Hearing that, I immediately remembered something Scott said during our only interview, “There’s only one thing you leave the Earth with and that’s the love you’ve collected between friends and family. Love is eternal.”

I went back to the original story to check those words and was surprised to see them in that exact order. He said a few other things that day which I also carry with me. I suspect those words remain in the memories of anyone who read about Scott.

Scott was not having a good day when we met and had what would be our only conversation. Despite that, he focused on me and made his thoughts clear and deliberate. I walked out of there thinking I could never be as tough as this kid, or face the end of life with such clear and evident faith.

I had dropped by the Hospice center to see Scott a few hours before he left us. While there I met his good friend Donna Bailey, one of many who knew Scott as a person as well as a pianist at Highlawn Full Gospel Assembly, where his funeral will be conducted.

I talked to Donna after Scott’s death and she told me something that, surprisingly, made me feel a little better — Scott did get to play piano one last time before things got so bad. I’m not sure if anyone in his family was around to hear him play, or if he was even able to play well enough to amuse himself, but I liked the idea of him laying his fingers on those keys. When he talked about playing piano, there was an absolute inner light from this guy.

“Scott, through everything he has been through — he kept his faith in God to the end. He truly did. He made us strong through that,” Donna said. “He stayed so close to God. The last six months when he was laying in bed, he trusted in God so much I was amazed by it.”

I asked her to try and explain what it was about the Piano Man that set him apart. Her answer was nearly perfect. She said Scott conveyed the message “Cherish every moment you’ve got.”

Scott wasn’t awake the last time I saw him. Still, I wanted to say something, anything, to let him know he had touched my life. Words failed, and I found myself giving him a salute each of us learned from different teachers. I bowed slightly as a student would do to acknowledge his Sensei.

I’ll do my best to never forget what he taught.

TIM PRESTON can be reached at tpreston@dailyindependent.com or at (606) 326-2651.

print this story   comment on this story  

Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.



Zillow
monster
autoconx
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Premier Guide
Premium Jobs

CERTIFIED EMT
EMT- Certified, FT. Must be computer friendly. Send resume to PO Box 250, Ceredo, WV 25507....>MORE

OFFICE POSITION
Dwtn. office seeks assistant in legal related services. Send resume i/c/o to Box 03499, c/o The Independent, PO Box 3...>MORE

MASSAGE THERAPIST
PT, 15 hrs./week. KY lic. Send resume to Box 01273, c/o The Independent, P.O. Box 311, Ashland, KY 41105-0311....>MORE

See all ads

Premium Cars, RVs and Boats

CADILLAC FOR SALE
‘99 Deville D’Elegance, 61,000 miles, $6,995. (606)928-6024. ...>MORE

CHEVY SILVERADO
‘02 Silverado ext. cab, 5.3 V8 4x4, 1 owner, exc., $9,950. 836-0274....>MORE

JAYCO HERITAGE POP-UP
1999, sleeps 6, $3,500 firm amenities. 606-920-9510...>MORE

See all ads

Premium Real Estate

FLATWOODS 2BR COTTAGE
FW- 1409 Clark St. 2BR cottage, HW fls., 2 bonus rms. $55k. 740-886-8742...>MORE

ASHLAND 3 BR HOME
ASH.- 457 30th St. 2 sty. 1.5 BA, 3 BR, LR, DR, kit., FA/H, $25k.606-325-7511...>MORE

HOME FOR SALE
OLD FARM ESTS- 3BR, 2BA ranch, ch/a, $118,000. (606)922-0693...>MORE

See all ads

Premium Deal of the Day

HORSE FOR SALE
GAITED GELDING- tri color, 10 yrs, kid safe, $1,000. (606)831-4534....>MORE

POOL TABLE
Professional 4 1/2 x 9 Olhausen, $1500. 606-232-1448....>MORE

LAB PUPS
AKC, black, choc. 6 wks, wormed, 1st shots $300 740-532-2174...>MORE

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2009. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index