Best wishes to Scott MacIntyre on tonight's performance and I hope millions of people will call in to support him.Even before he landed on "American Idol," the Valley's Scott MacIntyre touched a lot of lives through his music. But Patricia Cosand of Tempe has a special bond with the singer.
Two years ago, MacIntyre was diagnosed with a failing kidney. Cosand responded by donating one of hers to the young musician, and saved his life.
"I thought this was something I could probably do," says Cosand, who is a teacher. "He's just a very gifted and skilled young man."
Walter Cosand, Patricia's husband, was MacIntyre's piano teacher during his years at Arizona State University. He, too, noted how exceptional MacIntyre's abilities are.
"He is a remarkable pianist, and always very positive," says Walter Cosand, who began working with him when MacIntyre was 14 years old. "Just everything about him is remarkable."
MacIntyre was diagnosed with kidney disease in 2005. He spend 10 months undergoing dialysis, which severely limited his ability to perform or travel."I remember not having enough energy to sit and vocalize at the piano," he recalls. "Singing is a muscle thing and you're pushing out air, and I just couldn't do that for any length of time."
After the MacIntyres began looking for donors, four potential candidates were disqualified before Patricia Cosand was approved. A few days before the surgery, the Cosands spent an evening with the MacIntyres.
"His mother was in tears, telling me how I was such a blessing to their family," Patricia recalls. "We all prayed together that it would go well for both of us."
The surgery was performed at the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix. It was a success, for both patient and donor.
"She is such an amazing person, and so humble," Scott MacIntyre says. "Sometimes, it literally brings me to tears to think about it. It's just an amazing gift; literally, it was the gift of my life."
"It was neat," Patricia says simply. "It was a huge answered prayer."
It wouldn't be a surprise if there were some divine intervention involved. After all, MacIntyre has racked up a staggering list of accomplishments for someone just 23.
He began training in classical piano at age 5. At 14, he began studying piano performance at Arizona State University; the following year, he debuted with the
Phoenix Symphony as a guest soloist.
He was named a Marshall and Fulbright Scholar and received a master's degree from the Royal College of Music in London in 2006. He graduated from ASU at age 19; by
that time, he had already performed throughout the country with his family and released independent CDs.
In 2008, he appeared with his family at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after being honored by VSA Arts, a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C.
MacIntyre's achievements are even more impressive when you consider that the musician is legally blind. He was born with Leber's congenital amaurosis, which has impaired his vision since birth. His field of vision is about 2 degrees.
"It's like looking through a straw at the world," MacIntyre told The Arizona Republic last year. "Because of the lack of vision, I tried to fill that space with sound."
Because MacIntyre has received a lot of airtime during this season's early "American Idol" episodes, he has emerged as something of a front-runner. The producers haven't shied away from mentioning MacIntyre's impairment. He even had a little fun with it last week, as he was seen dancing with his red-and-white cane.
"That was my idea," he admits. "I like to break the boundaries that people conceive about me being visually impaired."
On the other hand, he hopes he won't wind up being labeled "the blind guy," though he knows it may be inevitable.
"It's a little funny to think about that," he says. "In the episode this season when that all blew up, it was nice to see (me called) 'Scott MacIntyre' instead of 'the blind guy.' But I know it's a quick way to refer to people, and in the end, if anyone remembers me, I hope they go look up 'the blind guy' and find it's Scott MacIntyre."
Indeed, he has a good sense of humor about the whole thing and is used to joking about it."I always kid him that he must be part bat, because you often don't know he can't see," Walter Cosand says. "At the keyboard, he's a very accurate marksman."
The Cosands are having fun watching "American Idol," which is a new experience for them. "I'm a classical nerd," Patricia admits. "I'm really rooting for him."
She was a bit surprised at how easily he handles pop music.
"It wasn't a side of him I was really aware of," she says. "But he's not just someone who thinks he can sing: He's really a fine musician."
She has stayed in touch with MacIntyre since the successful operation two years ago.
"He called me on the anniversary of the surgery, and he says, 'Of course, I was thinking about you today,' " she says. "It's a very unusual connection."
But it means if he goes far on TV, the Cosands can feel as if they played a role in his success.
"I always call him my wife's singing kidney," Walter says, with a laugh.