When Words Fail, Music Speaks: Brett’s Journey at St. Jude

On the day Brett Wyatt was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, he had a brain bleed and fell into a coma. He was 13 years old.

His parents, Christopher and Carla, sat with him among the tubes, machines, and people taking care of him. They comforted one another. They prayed. And they waited. Ready to help in any way they could.

So, when Brett’s doctor suggested they play music for him, Christopher went to work. He played songs he knew Brett loved. He played new songs Brett had never heard.

“He just kept adding to that playlist,” Carla says. “He’s still adding to it. It is up to 827 songs and almost 54 hours.”

The music was still there

Seven days later, Brett woke up. The brain bleed had caused damage to his brain. His vision was gone. He had lost his short-term memory, and he struggled to speak.

But Brett could remember song lyrics. And he could sing.

“Somehow, coming out of the coma, he knew the lyrics to entire songs,” Carla recalls. “It was very powerful for us to witness.”

Music had reached him.

The Wyatt family was amazed. They talked with his care team about how music had been so helpful. And they decided to add music therapy to his care.

Music therapy becomes part of the plan

“Music therapy uses music to help patients reach different goals,” says Celeste Douglas, a senior music therapist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “We use music to help patients and families cope with hospitalization.”

Science shows that music therapy can help in many ways.

“The general theory,” Douglas explains, “is that patients like Brett can hear while they are sedated or incapacitated. Music can be comforting during these times.”

Music therapists can also help children who are in pain, facing a scary procedure, or having big emotions they need to work through. 

“Brett was really struggling during that time,” Carla recalls. “Music therapy was a big part of his recovery.”

It helped him with coordination, following directions, and lifting his spirits.

A music therapist becomes part of the team

Douglas encourages families to reach out to music therapists for help with their child’s care.

“In really simple terms,” Douglas says, ”if your child is struggling in the hospital setting, we can come in and provide comfort, give your child a chance to make choices, a chance to be in charge of their care, and a chance for your family to bond together.”

For the Wyatt family, music therapy at St. Jude was not just part of Brett’s recovery. It was a source of hope, connection, and healing. And it gave Brett a way to express what words could not.

Learn more about music therapy at St. Jude.