I watched the tall young man, a boy really, come reluctantly into the operating theatre.

Everything about this experience was daunting. I could feel his trepidation but he was brave. He’d been up before dawn to make the long trip to Melbourne, to the hospital, and today was the day he would find out how serious his illness really was. His dad accompanied him into room. He was also tall, kind looking and awkward. He was a man from the bush and unaccustomed to the imposing environment of science and medicine. Once his son was settled, the nurse led him to the waiting area.

I’d been watching from a back corner. I was a guest, given the opportunity to see what it was like in the hospital. I saw the staff ready themselves for the next patient, covered from head to toe in hospital gowns with masks over their faces. Machines beeped and everything went like clockwork, like a seasoned performance.

The music playing was a great comfort to me.

I don’t feel myself in these places. I am lightheaded, uptight and nervous. The music filled the room and engulfed the people, the equipment, and all our different feelings. It gave us all something in common. The music told all who entered the room that you were in a safe place. There is life and beauty around us, even though there are journeys into the unknown ahead.

The boy was met by kind faces, by smiles and encouragement. What he saw and heard drew him in. It was all kindness and care. Everyone around him was at ease. Maybe he could be too? He lay himself on the bed, which was also the operating table and the music took on a new power. It spoke of lightness and optimism. The gentleness in the care he was given allowed him to quietly, safely, peacefully drift into sleep.

I don’t think it could have gone any better.

Everyone in the room was calm and focused. We had all experienced the gift that the music offered. It was taken up and embraced by everyone – the doctor, nurses, patient, parent, even myself, an onlooker. I believe in the healing power of music, the spirit of what is the Hush Music Foundation. It means people care.