A 53-year-old woman plays Violin while doctors remove a tumor from her brain

Dagmer Turner, a 53-year-old woman was asked to play the violin during her brain surgery at King's College Hospital in London. The doctors asked Turner to play the instrument to make sure that the professional violinist's musical abilities were not damaged during the surgery.

The tumor in her brain was close to areas of her brain that were responsible for regulating sensitive movements in her left hand. Since these regions are very important for playing the violin, Dagmer was asked to play the violin during her surgery.

Talking to a news channel Turner said, "The violin is my passion. I've been playing since I was 10 years old. The thought of losing my ability to play was heart-breaking."

Dr. Keyoumars Ashkan, a neurosurgeon who came up with this solution said, "We perform around 400 resections each year, which often involves rousing patients to carry out language tests, but this was the first time I've had a patient play an instrument."

The doctors have spent 2 hours to map the brain to figure out which areas were active when she played the violin. Doctors have managed to remove 90% of the tumor without harming other parts of her brain. Turner who plays for the Isle of Wight Symphony Orchestra said that she is hoping to be back with her orchestra very soon. She went home with her husband and son after 3 days of procedure.

Dagmar Turner plays the violin while undergoing brain surgery to remove a tumour. She was asked to play the violin to ensure parts of the brain which control delicate hand movements and coordination were not effected.pic.twitter.com/RjAzOE3Ocd

Dagmar Turner plays the violin while undergoing brain surgery to remove a tumour. She was asked to play the violin to ensure parts of the brain which control delicate hand movements and coordination were not effected.pic.twitter.com/RjAzOE3Ocd

— Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) February 20, 2020