An opera singer bravely sang Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro while having a brain tumour removed.
Ştefan Muţ was operated on by his friend, the neurosurgeon and choir founder Dr Lustinian Simion.
The 29-year-old patient, a baritone with the Transylvania State Philharmonic Orchestra, was awake during the high-risk procedure so the surgical team could monitor his speech and motor functions.
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“I operated on a 29-year-old man, who is a singer with the Philharmonic Orchestra in Cluj, a very good friend of mine, Ştefan, he has been my friend for over eight years,” Dr Simion told Need To Know.
He removed a frontal tumour formation on the left side, which had invaded the motor and speech area.
The surgeon warned the operation carried a high risk of neurological damage, including the possibility of losing speech or being paralysed on the right side.
He said: “Basically, we put the patient to sleep, opened up the area, got to where the tumour was, and when we were there, we woke him up.
“While we removed the tumour, the patient was awake so we could constantly check his functions.
“During the operation, he sang and moved his right hand and leg.
“The patient was awake, conscious, we talked to him, he was aware of where he was, what was happening.
“He was 100% prepared beforehand, we had psychotherapy sessions, and discussions.
“It was very emotional for me personally as Ştefan has been my friend for over eight years, he sings with me in the Anastasios choir, which I founded and conduct.
“We sang together the night before and then the next day I operated on him.”
Dr Simion confirmed the surgery went “very well” and that Ştefan’s speech and motor skills were unaffected.
He added: “I can’t express in words how I felt when I woke him up after the operation and asked ‘Ştefan, are you okay?’
“He said ‘yes, everything is fine with me here, how are things with you?’”
Ştefan said he is looking forward to returning to the stage as soon as he has recovered.
The operation took place at Transylvania Hospital in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
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