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	Meet John W. Hopkins Jr. (The Survivor) For jazz pianist John Hopkins, who has played as a member of the US Army bands and as a professional musician touring Europe and Asia ,and having just completed his first smooth jazz albumn the world was a melodic place. Until the day he suffered a stroke, and the music stopped. At 46 years old, he was seemingly healthy, but all was not well. Just as Hopkins prepared to take the stage at Tokyo's illustrious Grand Hyatt Hotel, he suffered an embolic stroke, leaving him in a coma for 10 days. Doctors gave him 48 hours to live, and his two sons, both in the military, flew in to be with him. But Hopkins' song was not over. During his coma, he remembers having a visit from his father, who had died six years earlier from Alzheimer's. His father said, "If you are ready to go, I will take you, but God has something else for you to do." At that moment, Hopkins emerged from his coma. Without health insurance, Hopkins didn't receive any therapy during his three-month hospital stay in Japan. With the financial help of some friends, he was finally able to fly home from Tokyo to his son's Washington State house. Although he was paralyzed on his right side and had lost some of his powers of speech, he was determined to recover and give something back to the world that had given him so much. Several months of therapy later, Hopkins was walking, but he still hadn't recovered full use of his right hand. He knew his days a professional musician were over. Undaunted, he found a new way to share his musical gift, one that honored his father's memory. John continues to play piano and people are amazed at his abilities on the keyboard using only one hand. In Leavenworth, Kan., Hopkins created a non-profit called Age & Play, dedicated to teaching music to senior citizens. Hopkins' students include senior citizens with mental and physical disabilities, even patients with Alzheimer's. One student hadn't spoken in 15 years, but Hopkins' piano lesson revived her memory of long-ago piano lessons, and she continues to play today. Now, Hopkins teaches at three Leavenworth locations and has expanded his programs to Kansas City, Kan. And Colorado Springs, Colo. Age & Play produces recitals for its students, giving them "something to aim for," says Hopkins. It gives something to Hopkins, too. He knows that, no matter what happens, the music will play on.

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