A young cancer patient from Florida stayed awake and played his guitar during his brain surgery while doctors operated on his head to remove a tumor.
The neurological team at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in Miami asked Christian Nolen to play guitar while he was in surgery so they could test his manual dexterity.
Nolen started playing guitar at the age of 13. When the doctors first suggested he stay awake and play the surgery, he said it “didn’t seem real.”
He told Fox News Digital: ‘I had actually only heard of procedures like this being done in shows and movies.
“I felt like it was such a unique experience that I couldn’t pass up, especially since my motor skills were on the line.”
The doctors put him to sleep during the first part of the surgery, but they woke him up and handed him the instrument to see how he would react.
He said it “didn’t seem real” when doctors first suggested he stay awake for the surgery
If the tumor had not been removed, he would have eventually lost all movement in his right hand
He said: ‘When I woke up it was quite overwhelming seeing everything around me and fighting the natural response to sit up.
Footage from the operation shows Nolen holding a guitar as he lies under plastic sheeting, the top of his head covered and tubes coming out of his face and arms.
An employee put a hand on his shoulder to hold him in place while he remembered where he was and what was happening.
He said: ‘I just had to breathe and stay calm.’
He worked his way through some of his favorite songs from artists like Deftones and System of a Down.
As the surgeons removed the tumor, he said, “This is wild.”
In the video, he can be heard strumming the guitar with a slight smile on his face as a doctor tells him, “The tumor is coming out beautifully.”
Nolen had surgery after doctors discovered a tumor in the right frontal lobe of his brain that was causing problems on the left side of his body, especially in his left hand.
Ricardo Komotar, MD, director of the brain tumor program at Sylvester, told Fox News Digital, “He noticed problems with his dexterity that affected his ability to play the guitar.”
He said: ‘Without treatment he would have eventually lost the ability to use that hand.’
He is an avid guitarist and has been playing since he was 13
He needed surgery as soon as possible to confirm the diagnosis and remove as much of it as possible.
In cases like Nolen’s, Komotar said they will often choose to keep the patient awake for surgery to “continually monitor the patient so you know if you’re starting to violate normal brain functions.”
The operation was successful and the entire tumor was removed.
Komotar said: “Christian did great. He went home the day after the operation. He says his quality of life is better than ever before, so I think his recovery has been remarkable.”
He is now awaiting final pathology results and will likely require six weeks of radiation and chemotherapy.
Although playing the guitar during surgery is quite rare, staying awake for brain surgery is common.
The operation was successful and the tumor was completely removed
In 2017, Rolden Batista played for his surgeons during brain surgery.
Similarly, in 2018, musician Taskin Ibna Ali, 31, played a tune during surgery so the surgeon could check whether mobility had been restored to his patient’s fingers.
Some patients sing or play the violin so that doctors can monitor their brain function and ensure that they are not damaging important or healthy tissue.
Komotar said: ‘Surgery with continuous neurological examination leads to better functional results and fewer neurological deficits.’
He added that patients will not feel any pain, will not remember the procedure and will feel comfortable the entire time.
Although he said: ‘Even with world-class anesthesia they may wake up too startled or in too much pain to be examined. They may be confused, irritated, or unable to follow orders.”
If that’s the case, doctors put them back to sleep and proceed with a more conservative surgery.