A US woman sang her way through neurosurgery as doctors used an innovative technology to preserve her speech.
Selena Campione made headlines after singing Taylor Swift songs while undergoing brain surgery at the Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute at Jersey Shore University Medical Centre.
Dr Nitesh Patel, a neuro-oncologist, used innovative technology to preserve Campione’s speech during the operation.
The 36-year-old mother from Stanhope, New Jersey, had experienced tingling and numbness on the right side of her body for almost a year.
This was accompanied by swelling of her face and difficulty speaking.
Despite visiting multiple doctors and undergoing numerous tests, her condition remained undiagnosed.
She visited several neurologists close to her home in Stanhope, New Jersey, underwent nine MRIs and tried eight different medications for everything from multiple sclerosis to seizures.
Despite all the things she tried, Selena’s symptoms were not improving. ‘There were days I would get up where I couldn't walk. I couldn't use my right hand. My face would swell up. I couldn't speak, I would get stuck. I couldn't get words out. And nobody knew what to do.’
That is until the self-described ‘Swiftie’ travelled two hours to visit Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute at Jersey Shore University Medical Centre to consult with neurosurgical oncologist Dr Nitesh Patel, who diagnosed a brain tumour that required surgical intervention.
He suggested an awake craniotomy, which allowed him to monitor her speech and other brain functions in real-time.
To ensure her speech was preserved, he utilised Quicktome Connectomics, an FDA-approved technology that maps out the brain’s functions.
Quicktome helps to visualise complex functional connectomic networks and tracts by seamlessly integrating into existing neuro-navigation platforms. The added information may assist in reducing neurological deficits and offer explanations for postsurgical outcomes.
Selena, a Taylor Swift fan, sang Swift’s songs throughout the operation, including 22, Shake It Off and Style.
‘My two daughters are huge Taylor Swift fans, and so am I. I hear her music 24 hours a day, in my car and house. I could sing with her on stage if she wanted me to! So it just made sense to sing it during surgery. It helped me; I felt like my daughters were with me.’
Dr Patel explained that singing allowed continuous monitoring of her speech: ‘Singing allows me to continuously monitor a patient’s speech, cadence, and rhythm without interruptions and pauses that happen during a conversation.’
Selena added: ‘The nurses told me you are going to have fun in the operating room with Dr Patel. I was like really? It was fantastic. I didn’t feel anything. The nurses were holding my hand, walking me through everything and singing along with me. I even think I’ve turned the doctors into Swifties. You see them in one of the videos tapping along to the beat with their tools.’
Jersey Shore University Medical Centre ICU nurse, Samantha Nelson came in on her day off to be with Selena in the operating room, and then picked up additional shifts in the ICU to see her through her recovery in the next couple days.
‘She was amazing. She was with me the whole time. I can’t say enough about everybody at Jersey Shore, holding my hand and singing with me. I wasn’t even scared during awake brain surgery because they were there.’
Now, a few months post-surgery, Selena is symptom-free and off nearly all of the medications she had been put on before her tumour was discovered. Dr Eduardo Silva Correia, a neuro-oncologist, worked with Dr Patel to help get Selena off her medications with plans to taper off the remaining seizure medication soon. The tumour was not cancerous, and, minus some regular monitoring, she can go on to lead a normal life.
