UP Close: The Piano Man

Colton Purcell, 26, has a curved spine and deformed arms, legs and hands yet he's somehow managed to become an accomplished collegiate level pianist and composer. Writing his own notes and singing his own songs. And four days a week he’s a professional piano teacher.
Helping young students to accomplish their musical goals. Colton says it's all about not giving up.
“I had to figure out my own way to do it, because I can't do things the way normal people do it,” said Purcell to KSL who graduated with a music degree from Snow College.
Purcell was born with a rare form of Dwarfism called Metatropic Dysplasia which only a handful of people have in the country. At a very young age, his dad started him on the piano as a form of therapy to keep his hands from tightening up.
“That's what my dad really wanted when he started me he really wanted me to be able to grip things and be able to experience life,” he said.
It was his grandma who is a professional pianist that took him to the next level. Colton has managed to become self-sufficient. Doing everything on his own to get around his parents’ home. He can walk, but only for short distances.
He manages to stay fit through a variety of exercises, including going up and down the stairs and doing pushups.
“When I was growing up I had to figure out how do to do things and that's what my parents raised me to do. They raised me to figure this stuff out by myself because they knew they wouldn't be able to help me,” said Purcell.
He may stand at only three feet 11 inches tall. But Colton is a giant in overcoming his challenges - his secret.
“Look for what makes you happy and when you find it use that to move beyond what you think is possible,” said Purcell.