This past year has been really difficult for Selena Campione, a female teacher from New Jersey.
Since March last year, she has developed a series of symptoms inexplicably, including tingling and numbness on the right side of her face and body.
She saw many neurologists and had blood tests and MRIs again and again, but no diagnosis was ever found. Doctors found only minor abnormalities in her white matter and tried eight different drugs, all to no avail...
During this period, Campione's condition became increasingly serious.
Her face was so swollen that she could not speak. Part of her skin turned purple. She also began to lose consciousness on the right side of her body. Sometimes she could not walk. She also suffered from epilepsy, high blood pressure, multiple sclerosis and other symptoms. , stayed in the hospital several times...
(selena campione with her husband and two daughters)
In desperation, a friend recommended her from Jersey Shore University Medical Center (jersey
shore university medical center), Hackensack Meridian Neurosurgical oncologist nitesh patel of the hackensack meridian
neuroscience institute. After reviewing Campione's case,
patel concluded that her symptoms should be caused by a low-grade glioma growing on the left side of the brain, and that area happens to control the right side of the body.
This tumor is benign and can be treated, but the plan proposed by patel frightened Campione - awake craniotomy .
As the name suggests, the patient undergoes brain surgery while awake...
(selena campione undergoing surgery)
The reason why she is required to stay awake is to reduce the risk of surgery.
campione’s tumor is located close to the area of the brain that controls speech and movement of the right arm and leg. The location is very critical.
In order to ensure that other places will not be damaged when removing the tumor, during the operation, the doctor will use a small electronic probe to stimulate different areas of the brain and ask campione to give timely feedback.
To do this, she had to stay alert during the surgery and also have to communicate verbally.
Typically, patients can answer questions or count, but Patel recommends that patients sing.
In his opinion, the advantage of singing is that it allows doctors to continuously monitor the patient's language, rhythm, pitch, and ability to recall words without the pauses and interruptions that occur in normal conversations.
The key point is that singing is more interesting than just talking, and it can relieve the tense atmosphere to some extent.
(selena campione and her two daughters)
campione accepted the proposal, and almost instantly, she finalized her surgery song list - singing Taylor Swift's song .
She likes Swift very much, and her two daughters are also super fans of Swift. Whether they are resting at home or driving out, the family always plays Swift's songs on a loop.
She is still afraid of craniotomy, but if she can sing Taylor Swift's songs, she will feel more at ease, as if her family is accompanying her in the ward.
patel liked the choice, as he happens to be a Swift fan, and assured Campione that if she sang the wrong lyrics during the surgery, he would notice right away.
(Taylor Swift)
After reaching an agreement, on January 31 this year, Campione was finally pushed into the operating room.
The process was not as painful as she expected. The doctor injected her with an anesthetic, making her lose all feeling above her eyebrows and behind her ears. The human brain itself has no pain, so she "didn't feel anything" during the whole process. Afterward, she said she "felt like she fell and cut her leg." It hurts more than this."
Just as promised, she kept singing Swift's famous songs during the surgery, including "22", "Style" and "Shake It Off". The nurses also kept holding her hands and singing along with her, while a few others danced to the beat.
In the pleasant atmosphere of a concert, finally, the tumor in Campione's brain was safely removed, and the operation ended successfully.
(selena campione and medical staff)
Part of the operation process was filmed, and campione later showed this "operating room limited concert" to her daughters.
At first, both children were scared of their mother’s surgery, but after seeing the video, their attitudes changed and they thought it was cool. The younger daughter even excitedly told her teacher and friends that “Taylor Swift” was in the operating room when her mother was in the hospital. inside.
(from left to right: selena campione, nurse, doctor patel)
Currently, campione is recovering well and has no symptoms. She is expected to return to normal life soon.
Perhaps this is the power of idols, which can give people courage at unexpected moments and turn serious and scary things into unforgettable memories...
