Much Respect Goes to this Man...Life short, but fullfilled his dreams.

(Oct. 20) -- A teenage ukulele prodigy refused to let his battle with cancer be his legacy. Instead, he spent his final months realizing a dream of cutting an album with world-class musicians and using the money to help other kids like himself.
Just weeks before his death in August, 16-year-old Killian Mansfield of upstate New York got to hold a copy of his professional CD. "Somewhere Else" features the teen playing alongside such musical talents as Dr. John, Kate Pierson, John Sebastian, Todd Rundgren and Levon Helm.Killian began playing instruments at age 3. He first took up the violin and then the fiddle before settling on the less common ukulele. When his family moved to the Woodstock, N.Y., area, the boy became well known as a "teenage troubadour," carrying his instrument in a neon-orange case and jamming with local musicians, New York Magazine reported.
He was diagnosed at age 11 with a rare form of synovial sarcoma, a disease that invades muscle and bone tissue. Over the next five years he endured painful treatments and surgeries, including one that removed a large portion of his jaw.
Killian's album was first conceived last fall when he was told that he was out of medical options and only had months to live. The magazine detailed how the boy told his mother during that hospital stay that he wanted to record: "But I don't want to do it with friends." Smiling, but serious, he added, "I want to play with famous people."
To turn the improbable idea into reality, Killian turned to family friend Ralph Legnini, who has a recording studio in Woodstock. Legnini also has strong ties to the musical community in Woodstock, where many artists have homes. Those connections helped Killian to recruit the well-known talents who collaborated.
Musicians who jammed with Killian quickly forgot about his youth and medical condition when they heard him play. Jazz guitarist John Pizzarelli told New York Magazine of his experience with the boy in a New York City hospital.
"When I got there, I sort of thought I was on a kind of playdate, right? Then Killian starts playing his ukulele, and I was like, 'Oh, really?' He knew chord voicings that, for lack of a better way of putting it, I knew. Soon he was showing me things. No joke, the kid was totally schooling me."
"Somewhere Else" features an eclectic set list of songs of escapism, all selected by Killian. He sang on two tracks and played the ukulele on the rest.
Recording sessions were dependent on Killian's health. To manage his pain, he took strong medications like Dilaudid, steroids and methadone. The drugs caused drowsiness that made it hard for him to work. He could only work for a few hours at a time, the magazine said.
Toward the end, he was not able to move his hands well enough to play. But the work was completed in time to allow Killian to review and approve the final tracks before its professional release.
Proceeds from the album's sales benefit the foundation that Killian set up before his death. The Killian Mansfield Foundation raises money for Hope & Heroes, the program at Columbia Presbyterian where Killian received treatment.