Toast to Life 34 (Mr. Ryan Anthony)

Trumpet player Mr. Ryan Anthony, who presided over CancerBlows in the United States, died on June 23, last year. He had a blood cancer called Multiple Myeloma. I knew for the first time yesterday that he had already died.

I learned on YouTube last year after I was discharged that Mr. Ryan was playing "You'll never walk alone" with a beautiful melody at CancerBlows in 2018. At that time, he looked still fine and I didn't think he was the presiding officer, and even I wish I could play like that.

On the other hand, if you look at the performance of "A Hope for the Future" on YouTube, which was probably taken in 2020 before his pass-away, with the support to Mr. Ryan and the sincere gratitude to the front-line staff, you will see numerous trumpets being connected into one screen amid the current pandemic, and playing the same melody. Only Mr. Ryan, who was (should be) blowing his trumpet from his room in the hospital, was seen in the screen switching players to others, had multiple tubes extending out of his body. 

His scene was too painful to see. His amount of hair, wrinkles on his face and swelling of his body, his voice, all showed (possibly) a sudden change occurring to him at the end of his eight years fighting cancers. Took a view into Wikipedia. Viewed his Facebook, which is still today holding dozens of his photos up there, including those from his hospital room, where he was celebrated his 51st birthday last year by his medical staff.

In "A Hope for the Future", more than 30 players from around the world, including Wayne Bergeron and Eric Miyashiro, played the same melody. There saw some faces as those in Mr. Ryan's FB.

At the end of the YouTube video, Mr. Ryan, who sits on his bed in the hospital room, starts speaking. Touching a bit on his appreciation for the music, he commented, "I am honored to be a part of this." He, then, extended his right hand to the screen, trying to switch off the video for YouTube. He was born on May 17, 1969, two years younger than me, and seven days earlier than my day.

He was changed too much.

With what kind of feelings has he lived for the last eight years? It couldn't have been painless. However, as far as I could see his faces and postures through YouTube videos, he kept looking lively, bright and cheerful. 

He's the same as me in the sense that he's been open of his cancers to the public (as I do with this blog), sharing the interest (trumpet only at my university days). But, I'm still looking for something I'm as proud of as he is or something to tell my family. Still bright, let's face forward and live. It should be also for him.

(The photo is a trumpet bag with the CancerBlows logo. Probably it was his creation. The trumpet, peeping out of it, probably was his own. I "borrowed" the photo from Mr. Ryan's FB. To be continued.)