A 27-year-old man from Spain has fully recovered from a brain surgery that’s been dubbed the ‘first of its kind’.
Carlos Aguilera, a jazz musician, played “Misty” on his alto saxophone while doctors removed a tumor from his brain over a 12-hour operation. The operation took place in October according to the Washington Post; the hospital in Malaga waited until Aguilera recovered before releasing the video publicly.
It’s the first operation on a conscious patient playing an instrument in Europe, according to the Post. Being awake during brain surgery isn’t uncommon – there’s no feeling, so the patient can’t ‘feel’ the operation taking place. The doctor’s had Aguilera play his sax to make sure they didn’t affect anything that would inhibit his playing abilities.
“Two months ago I was lying in a hospital bed, and now life is waiting for me, like I was born again,” he said. He went on to liken the rare experience to “lying on the beach.”
Photo credit: 13_Phunkod/Shutterstock
