A woman in Brazil kept awake during brain surgery moved doctors to tears when she began praising God during a risky operation. She sang a song she wrote herself, thanking God for keeping her alive. And the moment is unlike anything we’ve seen before!
Credit: FocusOn News
Doctors diagnosed 45-year-old Maria Filomena da Costa with a benign brain tumor two years ago. It needed to be removed, but the location of the mass made things tricky. Removing the tumor without impacting Maria’s speech and cognition wouldn’t be easy.
As a result, doctors determined Maria would need to be kept awake during brain surgery!
“There was a big risk Maria would lose her speech and it was important that she talked to the team during surgery,” neurosurgeon Carlos Rocha explained.
Brain surgery is scary enough. But needless to say, this particular operation was terrifying. And Maria admits she found the idea of surgeons working on her brain while she was awake was daunting. So, the team delayed the operation until Maria was psychologically prepared for everything involved.
Kept Awake During Brain Surgery
When it came time to operate, doctors used anesthesia to keep Maria “slightly sleepy,” but still able to speak and respond. The team planned to quiz her on colors, names, etc.
“We had pre-arranged to do speech mapping with electrical stimuli to the brain and tests during surgery asking her to name objects and colors, read and talk,” Carlos said.
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But Maria surprised everyone when she started singing to her Lord and Savior as doctors began removing the tumor!
“I wanted to feel confident during surgery and have some sort of control in my own way,” Maria said. “My song thanked God for my life and for giving me the strength to fight and win through this difficult health battle that has been hanging over me since 2015.”
Maria’s actions completely stunned the doctors. Not only did it provide assurance for the doctors that Maria’s speech would be just fine, but it moved the team in a powerful way.
“There were a number of professionals involved in this procedure and it was an emotional experience. Everyone couldn’t stop talking about her courage,” anesthesiologist Paula Fialho said.
The 8-hour surgery went well, and within only 4 days, Maria headed home from the hospital. She’s walking, talking, and is well on her way to a full recovery!
Our God is certainly an awesome God!
h/t: Daily Mail
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