HEALTH &
Wellness
Dr. Elvis Francois The story beyond the song BY CAROL KAHN
M
Medicine is for the body, but music is for the soul. That is how Dr. Elvis Francois describes the healing powers of music. He frequently belts out powerful melodies—whether in between surgeries in the operating room, in the lobby of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., where he previously work or occasionally in waiting rooms, fielding patients requests and making them smile.
Wearing hospital scrubs, Dr. Elvis Francois and Dr. William Robinson, both orthopedic surgeons, began giving impromptu concerts during their breaks at the Mayo Clinic where they had their residencies. Robinson played piano while Francois sang. “We finished up a long shift and he [Robinson] plays piano and I dabble on the piano, but he actually plays piano. I was singing some songs just for fun and all of a sudden people started coming in, nurses were leaving from their shifts or patients who were coming in the hospital,” Francois said. “It
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was kind of amazing to see music bringing people together who were in a hospital, which is a very heavy setting—but seeing people come together around music and see how that inspired people was the first phase.” Francois posted his rendition of “Alright” by Mike Yung, which was the first song that he resonated with and with others. “It’s a simple song and the lyrics are essentially, everything will be alright. It talks about someone going through a difficult time. Sometimes the simplest thing you can offer to someone is hope.”
