Orlando veteran finds healing and purpose playing piano at Nemours Children’s Hospital

While Rob Fess was playing piano at Nemours Children’s Hospital, a little girl approached with a blue rose wrapped in plastic.She thanked him for the songs and handed him the flower. Fess said he did not know what brought her to the hospital, but the gesture stayed with him.“Moments like these remind me why I play,” he said in written responses to Channel 9.For the Orlando-area Army veteran and composer, music has become both a personal outlet and a way to bring comfort to patients, families and fellow veterans.Finding his way back to musicFess said he took piano lessons from third through sixth grade but lost interest as he grew older.During his deployment to Iraq in 2007 and 2008, he occasionally returned to the piano during downtime, playing to relax and occupy his mind.He later deployed to Afghanistan in 2011 and 2012, serving as an embedded police adviser in Kabul. After military service and a career in law enforcement, he said he struggled with PTSD, depression and substance use