Patient played violin while undergoing surgery

[neenah neenah]

A patient at a British hospital played Mahler and Gershwin on the violin while a tumor was being removed from her brain.

The surgeons aimed at preserving her ability to play music and her 40-year passion for the instrument.

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53-year-old Dagmar Turner's operation was conducted on January 31.

To prevent any damage to her violin skills, Professor Keyoumars Ashkan, Consultant Neurosurgeon at King's College Hospital, came up with a plan: they would map her brain, open the skull and then get her to play as they removed the tumor.

While surgeons cut away part of her brain, Turner played music by Gustav Mahler, George Gershwin's jazz classic "Summertime" and pieces by Spanish songwriter and singer Julio Iglesias.

Professor Ashkan said it was the first time a patient had played an instrument while he performed surgery

The procedure was a success!

The violinist thanked the surgeons, saying that playing the musical instrument is her passion having started playing at the age of 10.