His Spirit Spoke Volumes

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Last fall, just a couple of months after finding his voice, he entered the hospital, then a nursing home in Queens. The doormen visited him there multiple times a week. A woman on the block bought him a radio so he could listen to music. He was always upbeat. The doormen went to cheer him up. He cheered them up.

“He left me a lesson,” Mr. Arias said. “Always be happy. Don’t worry.”