New Jersey, India

Being awake during surgery is scary, isn't it? But this patient described being awake during her brain surgery as "fun," and the reason behind it is both shocking and adorable. Krystina Vied, a 30-year-old woman from New Jersey, put on a little concert for her doctors when the medical professionals asked her to sing through the procedure. 

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Dr Nitesh Patel, Vied's doctor and co-director of neurosurgical oncology at Hackensack Meridian Health at Jersey Shore University Medical Center told news outlet Newsweek, "One of Krystina's passions is singing. She loves to do karaoke. So we figured, why not have her sing?" He added that he wanted Krystina awake and talking so that he could tell if the surgery was having any impact on her. 

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Moana works her Magic

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Vied, who now teaches little kids, told Newsweek that she had her first seizure 11 years ago when she was 19 and that it began affecting her quality of life. She recalled the incident when she was working at the front desk at a clothing store and went into a seizure behind the register. Following this incident, she suffered from major anxiety imagining if she would have another seizure in public. After what Vied described as an embarrassing event, she visited an epileptologist and was sent for MRI. Dr Patel then discovered a tumour in her brain near her speech-motor areas.

"The tumour's mass effect was pressing on the speech areas of her brain and triggering abnormal electrical impulses, leading to her seizures."

When asked why Moana, Vied said, "They originally wanted me to sing 'Sweet Caroline' but I didn't know the words, so they asked me what I would like to sing. I honestly do not know what made me pick Moana. I am a huge Disney fan. I think my mind just thought of something I was listening to recently."

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Groundbreaking Brain Surgery Software

Dr Patel described Vied's surgery as planned carefully as it was delicate. He said that by using "Omniscient’s QuickTime platform," it was possible for him to visualise the portion of the patient's brain and develop a strategy to leave these portions of the brain intact while performing brain surgery to remove tumours and other brain abnormalities."

Clarifying the reason for asking Vied to sing, Dr Patel said, "Singing helps capture a multitude of different speech components while making the testing an easier experience for the patient." He added that it not only helps to test the patient's motor component, but also the cadence, rhythm, pitch, and other subtle areas."

(With inputs from agencies)

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