Ihor, a former law student is fighting as a volunteer on the government side in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Last year, he was taken captive by pro-Russian separatists and spent four months doing forced labour in a former music school, where he found a piano. Ihor is a talented pianist - and persuaded his captors to let him play.

When Melody Gardot was a teenager in the American city of Philadelphia she was knocked off her bicycle in a road accident and suffered brain damage. She was also left with chronic pain and walking difficulties. Using music therapy as part of her recovery, she discovered a talent for singing and playing the guitar. She is now a Grammy winning recording artist who has sold millions of records across the world.

Guy Cotter, is a mountaineer who was stationed at Everest base camp during a blizzard which hit the mountain in 1996. He tried to co-ordinate the rescue effort by radio, listening to his friends stationed closer to the summit.

Abdul Rahman Ramadhan has spent the last 35 years risking his life to bring the world news of some of the most important moments in African history - from the Rwandan Genocide to civil war in Sudan. Abdul is from the biggest slum in Africa, Kibera in Nairobi, and he is so dedicated to his profession as a sound recordist that he left his own wedding to cover some local riots for the news.

Picture: Ihor (Left), Credit:Oleksandr Tkachuk; and Melody Gardot (Right), Credit: Rob Loud/Getty Images Show less