I was in a local Tampa Bay band in my teens and early 20s. We had a piano player Jonathan who I met in elementary school, he could play any instrument but chose to play the piano. He is who got me into playing music, he suggested I play bass guitar and let me borrow his to learn.
He started playing when he was young and so his skills were evident the soul of music flowed through him.
We got a small band together and practiced for years. We finally got some cohesive songs together when He started getting headaches. The pain got to the point where he had to go to the doctor to figure out what was going on. Ended up being diagnosed with brain cancer. He underwent surgery at a brain cancer institute in Texas. The surgery was successful and removed the brain cancer.
After he started recovering I visited him, he lived just the street over for me. He lost some motor function in his hands I witnessed a man that could play any instrument now only able to play a piano with one hand, he still played pretty well. Weeks and months passed he slowly recovered but the cancer made a comeback this time it took it with him.
19 years on this earth. The man was loved by many people evident by the hundreds of people at his funeral.
Our band carried on a few years afterwards and played a couple shows. Most venues that we played at then no longer exist, evident of the constant change the city is undergoing. People and places are here and gone, the world keeps spinning.
Distant Tragedy requires no pity or sorrow, turn tragedies into positivity and healing energy, equal and opposite reaction of the pain endured. Time heals all things but the memories remain
