The Philadelphia chapter of Musicians On Call has been led by WXPN-FM for six years touching the lives of some 30,000 patients and their families throughout the region.
Patients include 15-year-old Brianna Ranzino, who's been treated the last 2 years for a tumor in her chest.
"It makes you happy, it brings your spirits up, because it's cheerful," Brianna said.
Philadelphia's Musicians On Call is currently bringing its program to six hospitals, with 135 volunteer musicians including John Flynn of Wilmington.
"It just means that somebody cares, that somebody's thinking about you, and in this world that goes a long way," Flynn said.
Doctors at St. Christopher's Hospital For Children are convinced it also has a unique ability to heal.
"I think it gives them a way to channel some of their emotions to make them feel better, that's the greatest thing about music," resident surgeon Atul Deshmakh said.
For those young patients, like 8-year-old Lamar Nunez, who are in isolation and can't leave their hospital rooms, the music comes to them.
Musicians On Call reaches out to patients weekly. After today at St Christopher's Hospital For Children, volunteers will perform for patients every Tuesday night beginning at 5:30 p.m.
