A patient played a lute while undergoing brain surgery.
Mohammed Sarbest Zakhoyi was diagnosed with a grade-two tumour.
The 27-year-old played an oud – a stringed instrument like a lute – during his op to remove it.
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“It had begun affecting my concentration, causing weakness in my left hand,” Mohammed, 27, told Need To Know.
“Involuntary tongue biting, and – most seriously – triggered epileptic seizures.”
The tumour on the right side of his brain was discovered after Mohammed survived a serious car accident, in which he nearly died, two months ago.
It was during the medical scans that doctors unexpectedly found the low-grade glioma.
He said: “In a strange way, that accident ended up saving my life – without it, the tumour might have gone undetected.”
The surgery was successfully performed at the private Hayat International Hospital in Mosul, Iraq, last Saturday (12 Jul).
Mohammed said: “The surgeons were able to safely remove over 90% of the tumour.
“While a small part remains under observation, the operation greatly improved my condition and reduced my seizure risk.”
Mohammed — who is from Zakho, near the Turkish border — described being nervous before the procedure, “especially knowing I’d be awake”.
But he looked back on playing the oud while being operated on as “deeply emotional and surreal”.
He explained: “It allowed the surgeons to monitor the parts of my brain responsible for music, movement, and memory.
“It was as if I were guiding them through my brain with every note, taking part in my own survival.”
The team that performed the operation was led by Dr Yahya Abdul-Razzaq Al-Juhaishi.
The neurosurgeon said, “The patient had previously travelled abroad to several countries and major hospitals.
“However, none of them carried out the surgery due to the tumour’s location in a region responsible for movement, speech, and human cognitive skills.
“He also wasn’t comfortable with undergoing general anaesthesia, which is why we studied the option of operating with the brain exposed under local anaesthetic.
“This wasn’t my first time performing such a surgery – it was, in fact, my thirteenth.
“However, none of those patients played music during the procedure, as they didn’t have that ability.”
Mohammed is a petroleum engineering student, speaks eight languages, and plays multiple musical instruments.
He also works as a hairdresser and swimming coach.
He told Dr Al-Juhaishi and his team in a heartfelt message: “You didn’t just perform a surgery — you performed a miracle.
“You gave me a second chance at life, and for that, I will forever be grateful.”
Talking about his ongoing recovery, he said: “I’m doing much better. My hand strength is returning, and my focus is improving every day.
“I’m following a strict healing plan, and I remain thankful for every step forward.”
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