On Monday night, the auditorium at L.D. Bell High School in Hurst was packed for a unique performance called 'Smasher Crashers', inspired by a story 8-year-old Elliott Wyche wrote.
"The lesson in this story is you always have someone working together with you," Wyche said, surrounded by his crayon story illustrations. "You always have someone on your side and helping you through hard things."
Elliott was born with a heart condition called hypoplastic left heart syndrome.
"He's been through 3 open heart surgeries, so he only has half of a heart," Elliott's mom Ashley Wyche said.
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The Wyches got the diagnosis before Elliott was born. "Naturally we were scared, so my husband, Kelly, sort of patted my belly and said 'Come on Tin Man, you can do it!'"
The nickname stuck. Elliott's journey is documented on his Tin Man Tough Facebook page.
His Smasher Crashers story was put to music by recent Baylor graduate Mitch Gilly, who composed and arranged a 20-minute musical-style piece through the Sing Me a Story Foundation, which creates music inspired by the stories of children in need.
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"I wanted the composition to represent a youthful innocence. There's always something beautiful about a child's imagination," Gilly said. "I'm really hoping that Elliott and his family can feel the inspiration that was given to me reading the story."
The L.D. Bell orchestra and choir rehearsed for weeks. Monday night's performance was the first time Elliott and his family saw his story come to life.
"When there's a story you know everything that's going on, you know exactly how you should play it," violinist and concertmaster Victoria Phan said. "I just love using my music to tell a story and help Elliott."
"I hope he feels that he is seen," soprano and student director Emmy Irvin said. "I think what this showcases is that even when you're lost, you're still going to find people that care about you."
"I pretty much feel that everything is possible," Elliott Wyche said.
After the 'world premiere' of Smasher Crashers, Wyche was invited to the stage, where he grabbed the microphone and declared, "I loved it!"
