An emotional moment always gets us, and it doesn’t get more emotional than being given back what you’ve missed the most.
Let’s explain that a bit. Here we have a man who was a professional pianist and then lost the ability to move his fingers—imagine that.
However, technological advancements and the fascinating ways our body works gave that skill back to him. We want to show you how it all went when he used bionic hands for the first time.
Martins has performed with leading orchestras in the United States, Europe, and Brazil.
João Carlos Martins, an acclaimed Brazilian classical pianist, and conductor, has been engaged with several musical ensembles for decades.
The man was a leading pianist at the Boston Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Unfortunately, several head injuries left him with a disability, but he never gave up. First, he had an accident at a soccer game in New York, where a nerve in his arm got damaged. To make things worse, he later toured in Bulgaria and was mugged. In the altercation, Martins was hit over the head with a metal pipe.
All these experiences left him without a feeling in his hands, and he could only play with his thumbs.
Forced to change a profession after being injured, he began to work as a conductor at the English Chamber Orchestra.
Of course, he always sought the cure and went through several operations. Sadly they weren’t successful, and he couldn’t use his right hand at all after the operation. Martins never gave up on the ivories, and he continued to play occasionally using his left hand and only one finger of his right hand.
The great interpreter of Bach couldn’t hide his tears of joy because of being able to play with both hands again!
The video is short, yet the most hopeful and beautiful thing we’ve seen in a while.
Maestro João sits at the piano and you can see that he’s wearing some elaborate, black gloves. He decided to play Bach, which is symbolic because he’s well-known as an excellent interpreter of Bach’s compositions. He must have thought: “If I can do what I did best, I can do anything.” And let’s face it—Martins is so good at it. If you didn’t know the background story, you would have never suspected that he had any problem with his hands.
Seems like you never lose the skills you’ve mastered—at least, Martins didn’t!
The celebrated pianist began to cry as he realized he could play again without struggling.
We have to point out that this wasn’t the first time João received some kind of equipment that should help him play better. Friends, doctors, therapists and many others have been trying to find some kind of solution. So far, these custom-made, neoprene-covered bionic gloves that bump Martins’ fingers upward have worked best. A designer named Ubiratan Bizarro Costa created them and hit a jackpot with his creation.
This is a great example of putting the power of science to use for good!
The field of prosthetics has greatly benefited in the last few years.
That’s because science has worked a lot on enhancing replacement limbs, and now we have robot arms, bionic hands, 3D printed bionic limbs, and much more. In the past, prosthetics were heavy, didn’t provide a lot of options. Today, challenged patients can be in full control of their everyday life without any difficulties.
The video became an instant hit on social networks!
More than 6.7 million people have seen the video of Martins playing the piano again, and there are so many supportive, loving comments that made our day!
Martins is known for initiating social programs for the underprivileged in Brazil, so there’s no doubt that every good deed is rewarded.
Check out the moving performance below:
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