Nurse Sweetly Sings 'A Whole New World' to 4-Year-Old Cancer Patient
A nurse sang "A Whole New World" to cheer up 4-year-old cancer patient in Texas.
— -- A video of a nurse in Houston singing to a 4-year-old girl with leukemia, who could not fall asleep, went viral this week after her father posted it on Facebook.
Brandon Waterhouse, a hematology-oncology nurse at Texas Children's Hospital, sang Aladdin's "A Whole New World" to the delight and comfort of four-year-old Sophia Torres, who listened attentively while perched in her wheelchair.
"Sophia was in the hallway with her dad that night, unable to sleep. As is usual for her, she had her iPad playing music. At the time, she was listening to 'Let it Go' from Frozen which, I’m sad to say, I do not know all the words to," Waterhouse told ABC News. Sophia asked if he could sing a song for her and he said he knew all the words to Aladdin's "A Whole New World."
Jose Torres, Sophia's father, filmed Waterhouse singing and uploaded it on Facebook. "I posted it on Sophia's page for family members and friends, but I never thought it would reach out that far," Torres told ABC News.
The father explained that music has become a huge source of comfort for the young girl.
"She loves to listen to music," Torres told ABC, "On December 14 she suffered a stroke....It damaged some of her eyesight, so now the music is what she wants. She doesn't really want to watch movies, she just loves music."
Despite spending most of her time confined to a wheelchair and inside of a hospital building, Torres told ABC, Sophia still has a bright, positive personality.
"She is so happy," Torres told ABC, "She loves princesses, my little pony, and she just loves to listen to music."
Waterhouse, the male nurse who sang both the male and female parts of the Disney ballad told ABC News, "The last time I had a singing performance was during my 5th grade play ... I am definitely not a singer."
Waterhouse explained that even when there are no cameras rolling to catch the act, the hospital staff is always singing and playing with the kids at Texas Children's Hospital.
"It’s definitely not uncommon to catch some of the staff singing or dancing throughout our shifts but honestly it’s because we all truly love what we do. There is not a single person on this unit who wouldn’t go above and beyond for any one of our patient."