Minnesota doctor's uplifting song covers go viral: "Music goes places that medicine can't go"
An orthopedic surgery resident at a Minnesota Mayo clinic is using his unique vocal talents to lift the spirits of patients and tired colleagues. Videos of the aptly-named Dr. Elvis Francois performing with fellow medical staff have gone viral on the internet, providing comfort at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has many stressed and afraid.
"Medicine, I've found, goes only so far, and surgery only goes so far," Francois said to CBS News' Vladimir Duthiers. "But music goes places that medicine can't go. When I can see people from all walks of life taking care of a person to make sure we save that person's life, that's hopeful to me. And so I think as long as I see that, I can't ever lose hope."
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Francois' social media videos have gained thousands of views, and he hopes the power of music will help the world come together while the pandemic has people feeling isolated.
He said that "the only way we get through this" is if everyone on Earth says "we are here together as one."
The doctor's impressive repertoire includes uplifting songs from Nina Simone's "Feeling Good" to John Lennon's "Imagine," which he sampled for "CBS This Morning" viewers while Duthiers accompanied him on the guitar during a video call between the two.
"There's a lot of anxiety, there's a lot of fear. And you know for me, whenever I have those moments in my personal life, music has always been something that I've found I've been able to gravitate towards and sort of bring things to ease," Francois said.