Woman experiences powerful catharsis as Stanford med student turns her life story into a cello performance

No one wants to lose their loved ones, and the grief of not seeing that person any longer takes a huge toll on people’s lives. To share this pain, a medical student has found a unique way to connect with critical patients in their final moments. The sufferers with a grim chance of survival often are looking for momentary relief in their rough path to recovery, and Stanford University medical scholar Melonie Ambler is there to help. The trained cellist, born and raised by her musical family, found her second love in medicine. Since then, she has been prescribing art to comfort patients facing serious illnesses, reported CBS Mornings.

Melanie’s reported journey as a music therapy advocate began in 2022 when she used to play the cello in “virtual concerts” for patients on Wednesdays, her day off from school. As part of her initiative, the Stanford med student came up with spontaneous compositions based on the patients’ life stories. In the outlet’s video feature, she was seen interacting with a patient in palliative care, asking her some random questions. "I'm curious—what does art mean to you?" she asked the patient suffering from kidney failure. “Art to me is beauty. It's beauty, and it's tranquil,” responded the bedridden woman.

Melanie took inspiration from the wisdom passed on by the woman, and in no time, she came up with an impromptu song, showing her compassion toward her. Moreover, the patient was moved by the kind act, which brought a noticeable change to her stagnant life. “The questions that I ask like, ‘Transport me to your favorite place on Earth’ or ‘What are you famous for within your friends or your family?’ And when I get that response, I then can accentuate some of the drama or the emotions or the personalities and the energy that patient and their family share with me,” the med student explained.

On top of it, the med student said it meant so much to her when CBS News’ Elizabeth Cook asked her what motivated her to enter these patients' lives during their final moments. “Some of the most meaningful moments that I personally experienced while I was on my medical school rotations were emotionally charged and difficult ones. Moments where traditional medicine may not be effective or provide comfort,” Melanie recalled. The cello player’s work in enhancing palliative care at Stanford's Medical School caught the eye of experts who earlier took the initiative to partner music with medicine.

Among the advocates, Dr. Lisa Wong, co-director of the Arts and Humanities Initiative at Harvard Medical School, told the outlet, “We started it (the initiative) because we realized that among our faculty are poets, visual artists, writers, and musicians. Invariably, they say, well, it makes me a more balanced person and a better doctor.” For Melanie, the music she composed in the hospital, along with the interviews with patients, holds far more importance as she takes the songs back home with her as a last remembrance. Many people online praised her move, including @soniatriana909, who wrote, “Melanie Ambler is a gifted human being.” “I love this convergence of hospice care and music. I wish my father could have received such beautiful music art at the end of his life,” @bambooblue74 added.