A cancer patient, Christian Nolen, turned an operating room into an unexpected music venue. During his brain surgery, he played songs by Deftones and System Of A Down on his guitar. This unusual situation was part of a medical strategy to make sure Nolen’s brain was working properly while the doctors were removing the tumor.
Nolen’s tumor was in the right side of his frontal lobe, affecting his motor skills, especially in his left hand, which made playing the guitar difficult, Dr. Ricardo Komotar, leading the brain tumor program at the University of Miami, shared with Fox News Digital. The surgery was set for 10 days after the discovery of the cancerous growth.
The Patient’s Thoughts On The Surgery
The medical team at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine asked Nolen to play guitar during the operation so that they could get feedback on his condition. The patient was surprised when he found out he had to stay awake for the surgery:
“I’d only really heard of procedures of that nature being done in shows and movies. I felt like it was such a unique experience that I couldn’t pass up – especially with my motor skills being on the line. The risk of being sedated for the entire procedure outweighed any fear or anxieties around the procedure itself.”
The Doctors Almost Failed
The surgery had a critical moment towards the end. Dr. Komotar noticed that Nolen’s hand function began to decrease as they were finishing the surgery:
“As we were finishing the case at the very back of the tumor, we noticed that his hand function started to decline. The tumor was touching and interfacing with the part of the brain that controls hand movement. Fortunately, we were able to remove the entire tumor and not injure his hand.”
You can check out the video of Christian Nolen’s mini-concert in the operating room in the video below.
