A beautiful moment between a patient and nurse has gone viral, quickly gaining over 130,000 views before Christmas.
Penn Pennington had worked as a session guitarist in Nashville, having played for the Grand Ole Opry for 23 years, when he was diagnosed with cancer and began chemotherapy.
CNN reports that when his nurse, Alex, found out that he was a musician, she brought her own guitar to the hospital so he could play while enduring his treatment. Then, when Penn found out that she could sing he got her to pull up the lyrics to “O Holy Night,” and the rest is history.
Penn falters only a moment in the difficult bridge chord changes, but otherwise he plays the arpeggiating accompaniment perfectly and from memory. All the while, Alex shows off a surprising set of pipes that could really take her places. We especially liked the melisma she added for flair as her voice moves through the notes with precision and clarity.
The video really gets good once Penn starts to softly harmonize with Alex’s vocal. The voices of the pair complement each other naturally, enough so that we’re certain a professional recording from them would sell.
As a nurse, Alex goes beyond the physical to treat mind and soul. Here, she exemplifies the importance of establishing a connection with patients, to offer them comfort during the harrowing ordeal of treatment. The video ends before the two could talk, but the Penn gives Alex a deeply gratified look, having been given a moment of distraction from his pain.
And today we celebrate...