LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Music therapists come prepared for any mood, hoping to bring light to a dark situation. Within the Norton Healthcare system, they help patients cope with pain, discomfort, and anxiety often associated with hospitalization.
Brett Northrup's the music therapist for Norton Children's Cancer Institute, a role he stepped into 13 years ago.
"I didn't know it existed, and then when I discovered this field, I said, 'this is it. This is what I'm going to do the rest of my life,'" he said.
Northrup doesn't miss a beat when a patient's in need of a smile or a moment of normalcy. He's been there many times for 4-year-old Trey Lowman, who's gone through more than most people will in a lifetime.
Lowman's been in and out of the seventh floor of Norton Children's Hospital, the wing designated for pediatric cancer patients, after doctors discovered a tumor covering half of his brain in March 2023. It's a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer called ATRT.
The young boy has since undergone multiple surgeries, including two craniotomies, chemotherapy, and radiation -- and as if that wasn't enough, he had a stroke.
"Trey spent close to nine months in treatment, and went into remission for another nine months," Ebony Lowman, Trey's mom, said. Then, just last month, the cancer returned.
"Those aren't words you ever expect to hear as a parent, that your child has cancer. And it's even harder when you have to hear it a second time," Lowman said.
Trey's mom knows how hard this next fight will be but they won't be alone.
"When it gets really tough, we can be there, too," Northrup said. "Music therapy is one of those things that looks like a nice service and it is, but we are evidence-based."
It's the power of music and his passion that can strike a chord with patients in a way few others can. It often results in improved physical and emotional well-being.
"When you put [Trey] and Brett together, it's magic," Lowman said. "He's full of joy and that's one thing that cancer hasn't been able to take from him."
"Music is something that touches most people. It just makes sense. And we have a gift being able to be here," Northrup said.
Brett shakes things up with each session, turning the focus to other instruments depending on the patient's desires.
It's provides a moment of peace.
"To see pure joy, and Trey being able to be a kid and have fun, it really warms my heart in a time that's a dark space for my family," Lowman said.
These therapy sessions don't stop with Trey. Northrup's there for the whole family.
"He also worked with my older son, Larry, to help him cope with Trey's diagnosis," Lowman said.
But he's also there for parents too.
"They have the weight of the world on their shoulders and even the young kids, they feel that and they play off their parents, so if we can offer any relief in that, that's one of the beautiful parts of this role," Northrup said. "And maybe just for a minute they forget some of the bad stuff that's around them."
"You can't put value on that. It's helping us cope with some of our biggest nightmares, and finding those moments to keep you going and keep you fighting," Lowman said.
You'll find music therapists at six Norton Healthcare facilities, from rehab, to the NICU and the behavioral health unit.
Northrup said all of them are also trained in end of life care.
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