SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio drummer living with spina bifida is hoping the rhythm of his beat raises awareness about his condition and inspires others to never stop dreaming.
David Michael Damian, also known as Dmyke On Drums, was always tapping on something.
“When I was little, I would pull out the pots and pans and I would bring out the chair and would beat on them while my mom was cooking and cleaning while she had music on,” he said.
Drumming has always been a medicine for the 44-year-old musician.
“Drumming pretty much has been my outlet,” Damian said. “With my disability, I am in pain a lot. And I know this may sound cliché, but when I play music, I feel no pain.”
Spina bifida is a disability where the spine and spinal cord do not form properly in the mother’s womb.
Healthychildren.org says roughly 1,300 to 1,500 people are born with it annually in the United States.
It usually means a life of chronic pain in the legs, joints, or muscles and difficulty or inability to walk.
Damian uses a chair, crutches and a cane to get around.
“It is a numbness,” he said, describing how he feels every day. “There’s only tissue at the bottom of my spine. Sitting here, my legs are going numb. When I am lying a certain way, it is like a numbing sharp feeling. Like lightning in your fingertips. It is just weird.”
Being born with spina bifida has created a life of obstacles for Damian.
“I was also supposed to be a twin, so when I was born, I had duplicate intestines hanging out plus my spine,” he said. “So, my parents took me to Houston to the Spina bifida clinic there. They pretty much told my parents that I wasn’t going to make it. I’ve had multiple surgeries on everything. It has been a rollercoaster ride for sure.”
Damian said he is thankful to have survived that chapter, but his life didn’t get any easier after that.
“That is where music came in specifically,” he said. “Because I was bullied growing up so I would go home and put headphones and I would just drum. So honestly music saved me. Growing up is tough because you know you want to fit in and you’re different and you want to fit in already. Bullying was bad because I walked funny.”
He said as long as he had a pair of sticks in his hands, he was in a peaceful place.
“It saved me because it was always there,” he said. “That’s why I carried a pair of sticks with me everywhere. It is like a person’s favorite blanket or bear.”
Because of his situation, doctors have had the best news as far as how long Damian could continue to drum, but he says despite not having the natural movement of a normal drummer, he will drum as long as he can.
“I can’t move my ankles and wasn’t born with calf muscles,” he said. “So, I have to use my thighs with drumming. It is a little hard with the feet aspect of it but that is where I make up for it with my hands.”
Now, Dmyke On Drums is a professional drummer playing with artists all over Texas.
He has a very active following and is highly requested, with pictures throughout his journey.
Despite the odds of his condition improving being impossible, he hopes his story creates the possibility of a better world.
“It really costs zero dollars to be cool,” Damian said. “You never know whose day you may brighten just to say, ‘Hello’ to someone. Everything is possible, they told my parents I wouldn’t be here. And I’ve gotten to do some really cool things musically.”
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