2010-02-26 CNN
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For 18 hours, Romel Joseph lay buried in the rubble of his music school in Port-au-Prince. For 18 hours until his rescue, the concert violinist stayed alert and alive going over in his head, one by one, every concerto at every concert hall he'd ever played. Romel was badly broken. His legs crushed, bones in his left hand shattered. But the concrete that covered him would not, could not kill him.
ROMEL JOSEPH, VIOLINIST: I thought my time was up under the ground, and God says no, you have things to do.
ZARRELLA: Three weeks ago, we met Romel, who is legally blind, for the first time. He mentioned he'd like a keyboard to help strengthen the fingers in his left hand so that some day he could again play the violin. Stevie Wonder heard and answered Romel's request.
STEVIE WONDER, SINGER/SONGWRITER: What better way to really express our God's love than to give something that is special to you to someone else who is in need. So, that's why I did what I did.
ZARRELLA: Wonder's keyboard was packed and shipped, arriving Tuesday at Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital. Romel didn't know it was on the way.
ZARRELLA: Romel.
JOSEPH: Yes, sir.
ZARRELLA: Hey, John Zarrella from CNN. How are you?
JOSEPH: Oh, my goodness.
ZARRELLA: It's so good to see you again. You look terrific. I think we have something for you.
JOSEPH: Oh, it came?
ZARRELLA: It came. It's coming in the door right now.
JOSEPH: Oh, my goodness.
ZARRELLA: Now, who sent this to you? Stevie Wonder.
JOSEPH: Oh.
ZARRELLA: As the keyboard was set up, Romel was carefully moved to a wheelchair.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The chair is over here.
JOSEPH: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, I'm going to have you go sideways. Keep your legs on the bed.
ZARRELLA: He sat over the keyboard, his legs, one held together with metal rods, resting on pillows.
JOSEPH: I'll play something.
ZARRELLA: He began to play. Of course, a Stevie Wonder song. Even the fingers on his damaged left hand glided across the keys with a gentle touch. Romel will be out of the hospital soon. When that happens, he'd like nothing more than to play a concert for Haiti. He on the violin and Stevie Wonder on the keyboard.
JOSEPH: I mean, you know, nothing is impossible.
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