Violinist Mayumi Masri Not Silenced by Tragic Accident

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2018/01/download-e1517438262513.jpg
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:640;s:6:"height";i:480;s:4:"file";s:35:"2018/01/download-e1517438262513.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:10:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:35:"download-e1517438262513-336x252.jpg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:252;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:35:"download-e1517438262513-140x140.jpg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:33:"download-e1517438262513-80x80.jpg";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:35:"download-e1517438262513-600x338.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:338;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:35:"download-e1517438262513-600x480.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:480;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:35:"download-e1517438262513-415x311.jpg";s:5:"width";i:415;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:35:"download-e1517438262513-353x265.jpg";s:5:"width";i:353;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:28:"ab-block-post-grid-landscape";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:35:"download-e1517438262513-600x400.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:400;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:25:"ab-block-post-grid-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:35:"download-e1517438262513-600x480.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:480;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:35:"download-e1517438262513-125x125.jpg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:12:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";s:11:"orientation";s:1:"0";s:8:"keywords";a:0:{}}}
        )

    [_wp_attachment_backup_sizes] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:9:{s:9:"full-orig";a:3:{s:5:"width";i:640;s:6:"height";i:480;s:4:"file";s:12:"download.jpg";}s:14:"thumbnail-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"download-140x140.jpg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:11:"medium-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"download-336x252.jpg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:252;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"wbhm-icon-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:18:"download-80x80.jpg";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"download-600x338.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:338;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:25:"wbhm-featured-square-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"download-300x300.jpg";s:5:"width";i:300;s:6:"height";i:300;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:23:"wbhm-featured-home-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"download-415x311.jpg";s:5:"width";i:415;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:27:"wbhm-featured-carousel-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"download-353x265.jpg";s:5:"width";i:353;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:19:"post-thumbnail-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"download-125x125.jpg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}
        )

    [_imagify_optimization_level] => Array
        (
            [0] => 0
        )

    [_imagify_data] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:2:{s:5:"sizes";a:9:{s:4:"full";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:63:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2018/01/download-e1517438262513.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:52086;s:14:"optimized_size";i:38866;s:7:"percent";d:25.379999999999999;}s:9:"thumbnail";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:71:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2018/01/download-e1517438262513-140x140.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:7335;s:14:"optimized_size";i:6892;s:7:"percent";d:6.04;}s:6:"medium";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:71:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2018/01/download-e1517438262513-336x252.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:23482;s:14:"optimized_size";i:22314;s:7:"percent";d:4.9699999999999998;}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:69:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2018/01/download-e1517438262513-80x80.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:3258;s:14:"optimized_size";i:2985;s:7:"percent";d:8.3800000000000008;}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:71:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2018/01/download-e1517438262513-600x338.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:46443;s:14:"optimized_size";i:44645;s:7:"percent";d:3.8700000000000001;}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:71:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2018/01/download-e1517438262513-300x300.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:24233;s:14:"optimized_size";i:23073;s:7:"percent";d:4.79;}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:71:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2018/01/download-e1517438262513-415x311.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:32781;s:14:"optimized_size";i:31321;s:7:"percent";d:4.4500000000000002;}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:71:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2018/01/download-e1517438262513-353x265.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:25730;s:14:"optimized_size";i:24469;s:7:"percent";d:4.9000000000000004;}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:71:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2018/01/download-e1517438262513-125x125.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:6148;s:14:"optimized_size";i:5747;s:7:"percent";d:6.5199999999999996;}}s:5:"stats";a:3:{s:13:"original_size";i:221496;s:14:"optimized_size";i:200312;s:7:"percent";d:9.5600000000000005;}}
        )

    [_imagify_status] => Array
        (
            [0] => success
        )

    [_media_credit] => Array
        (
            [0] => Esther Ciammachilli
        )

    [_navis_media_credit_org] => Array
        (
            [0] => WBHM
        )

    [_navis_media_can_distribute] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

)
1656590503 
1517468237

Alabama Symphony Orchestra violinist Mayumi Masri’s violin is like her voice. She speaks through her instrument. But on Memorial Day weekend 2017, Masri fell through a glass door and nearly severed her right arm at the elbow. She cut her artery and median nerve in the accident. And as you can imagine, she wondered whether she would ever play the violin again. Masri had two major surgeries and thus began what doctors said would be an arduous healing process.

On what it’s like to lose feeling in your hand

It’s very strange. It’s like you know that you’re making a movement. You know you are using some kind of muscles to move something, but yet you can’t feel what you’re touching. And so it’s like you’re working so hard and it’s almost like you have air in your hands. You could feel resistance, but you can’t actually feel the object in your hand. But with every day I got a little bit stronger, a little bit better, and within a couple of weeks I was able to do everything. Not 100 percent successfully, but I was definitely improving daily.

Mayumi Masri's scar following her accident Memorial Day weekend 2017.

Esther Ciammachilli,WBHM
Mayumi Masri’s scar following her accident Memorial Day weekend 2017.

On getting a second opinion

His name was Dr. Markison. All the musicians in the Bay Area absolutely recommended him. And I saw him about a month after the accident and he admitted it was a really bad injury. But my surgeon in Birmingham did a great job and I had a long road ahead of me. But he had faith that I would be able to play again. I saw him again at the end of the summer and he could not believe the improvements that I had made. He did tell me that I would be able to play the violin or go back to work before March, which was very shocking to me because at that point I still had not played the violin.

On playing the violin only three months after her accident

I actually rented a violin and bow because I was so scared I was going to drop my own bow or nick my violin or make a mark on it. And it was a little rough. I could barely do five minutes the first day. I mean it was shaky. I’d pick up the bow. I couldn’t feel it. My arm was quivering. It was awful. And I basically did five minutes a day for a couple of weeks and I got stronger in those five minutes. By the time work started back up in September I was probably up to 10 minutes a day. In October, I was probably up to half an hour hour.

On going back to work

So I came back to work November 30th. I just felt so happy that I could be back on stage with my colleagues and friends. And I actually ended up being concertmaster for that performance. I’m a title player and so part of my job is to sit in the very first chair, stand up to new orchestra, lead the orchestra and bows, and have solos. My first concert back it was a little bit scary. But they weren’t super hard, so I knew I could handle it.

 

In effort to protect children, France bans smoking at parks and beaches

Smokers are no longer allowed to light up in public parks, at swimming pools, or at beaches, or "anywhere children may be present," said French health and family minister Catherine Vautrin.

80 years later, a Holocaust survivor meets an American soldier who helped free him

Andrew Roth survived the Nazi concentration camp Buchenwald. Jack Moran helped liberate the camp while serving in the U.S. Army. Decades after liberation, the two met and shared their stories.

Decades later, Karen de Boer still remembers a kind gesture from her college hallmate

As a college freshman, Karen de Boer was sometimes inconsiderate to her hallmate, Pam. So when Karen missed the bus to her choir performance, she was surprised — and moved — when Pam came to her rescue.

DOJ announces plans to prioritize cases to revoke citizenship

Denaturalization is a tactic heavily used during the McCarthy era and one that was expanded during the Obama administration and grew further during President Trump's first term. It's a tool usually used in only the most serious and rare of cases: dealing with Nazis or war criminals.

The best support for a friend with cancer? Presence, listening and space to vent

People who get cancer say their friends often disappear when they hear the bad news. Don't be that person! Here's advice for what to do and say — and what not to say — when a loved one faces cancer.

Murders are down nationwide. Researchers point to a key reason

Homicides are falling dramatically in many U.S. cities, after a surge in 2020 and 2021. Analysts say a reinvestment in communities from local government after the pandemic's disruption is a key reason.

More Arts and Culture Coverage