Dentist's piano practice sparks friendship with a cancer patient

A dentist practicing on a piano at the Wilmot Cancer Center in Rochester, NY, prompted a friendship with a cancer patient and resulted in the gift of a free piano, according to a report published on October 12 by 13Wham.

Dr. Luis Mendez came from his home country of Mexico and earned his degree from the University of Rochester Medical Center. He learned to play piano at the age of 12, but when he came to the U.S., he couldn't bring the instrument, so he began to practice in the lobby of the Wilmot Cancer Center in Rochester.

One day, as he was playing, a cancer patient named Harley Bowman approached him.

"I [noticed] this person in scrubs playing the piano with a face mask on, and it was beautiful music,” Bowman said in the 13Wham report.

Mendez and Bowman had a conversation, and Bowman offered a piano to Mendez. A friend of his had been looking for a new home for her family's instrument.

"I said, 'Would you like one for free?' He said, 'Yes, do you have one?'" Bowman said. "And I said, 'I know a lady who has one and wants to give it to someone who would cherish it.'"

Although Mendez now has a piano at home, he still plays the piano at Wilmot Cancer Center, knowing the patients enjoy it, 13Wham reported.