Boy Who Lost Sight To Cancer Teaches Himself Piano

An eight-year-old who lost his sight in a cancer battle is inspiring others by showcasing his incredible self-taught piano skills. Nykoda Icke from Tampa, Florida, was diagnosed with bilateral retinoblastoma, a cancer of the retina, when he was six months old. The cancer can be found in children aged six months to five years old, and over the next year, Nykoda underwent monthly chemotherapy sessions to administer direct treatment. Unfortunately for Nykoda and his family, though, the cancer became resistant to chemotherapy, which meant doctors had to make the difficult decision to remove his eyes to stop the disease spreading. Once the treatments were over, Nykoda's mom, Maraynna wanted to find ways to encourage Nykoda to thrive, with music being an obvious motivator. Nykoda was introduced to an old piano at his grandparents' house when he was two years old, and due to his blindness the sound of the instrument began to resonate with him. He went from banging drums as a toddler to trying out the piano for himself. Over time, Nykoda started to realize the sounds of music in his favorite movies and TV shows could be played on the piano, and having listened to a song over and over again, he would try to recreate it.

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