Published: July 24, 2025
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Hospital halls are filled with sounds of beeping monitors, rolling carts and constant footsteps — a cacophony that can cause anxiety for kids and their families as they face a difficult time. Among all those sounds on the seventh floor at Norton Children’s Hospital, Trey found joy and comfort in music, and the resources to make music of his own with guidance from Brett Northrup, MT-BC, music therapist.
Trey was first diagnosed with an atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor, an aggressive form of brain cancer, in March 2023. He has been in and out of Norton Children’s Hospital ever since, going through multiple surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation. Amid this immense struggle, music therapy has become something Trey and his family can look forward to.
The music therapy program is funded in part my Max Baumgardner through the Norton Children’s Hospital Foundation. From purchasing small instruments such as shakers and drums to funding additional music therapists across many locations, the foundation plays a key role in the program.
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Read more about Trey’s journey.