God at Work: Mariachis’ ‘Hand of God’ Touches COVID-19 Patient on Ventilator
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Joe Trejo was hooked up to a ventilator in the intensive care unit at St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton. At the time, he wasn’t able to communicate with his wife or their three sons. Then, something unexpected happened.
A mariachi band played the couple’s favorite song in the parking lot, and they were able to play the song through a smartphone. Trejo subtly responded.
“I know he heard me, and I know he heard the music,” Trejo’s wife, Patty, told the LA Times, referring to ‘La Mano de Dios’ (‘The Hand of God’). Aurelio Reyes el Gallo de Chiapas performed, a trio of mariachis she hired, the LA Times reports.
Good morning and welcome to the TimesOC newsletter. It’s Wednesday, Feb. 17.
We tend to celebrate the big medical achievements in the battle against COVID-19: vaccines, improved testing, better treatment protocols.
But sometimes victory is measured in smaller, more personal moments.
Take patient Joe Trejo, who has been on a ventilator for 10 days at St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton. He’s unable to communicate with his wife, Patty, and their three sons.
“But on Monday, as a mariachi band played the couple’s favorite song in the parking lot and beamed it to them in the ICU via a smartphone,” write Kim Christiansen and Ifran Khan. “Joe responded if ever so subtly.”