For almost a year, Selena Campione struggled with tingling and numbness on the right side of her body, which started in her face and progressed throughout her body.
The 36-year-old teacher from Stanhope, New Jersey, visited numerous doctors and neurologists, underwent nine MRIs, but never got answers to her symptoms. They even gave her eight different medications for ailments such as multiple sclerosis and seizures.
However, doctors were unable to diagnose her and her symptoms worsened.
“There were days when I would get up when I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t use my right hand,” she recalled in a press release. “My face would swell. I couldn’t speak, I would be stuck. I was at a loss for words. And nobody knew what to do.”
Brain surgery patient sings Moana’s ‘How Far I’ll Go’ during surgery — watch!
Selena Campione and her daughters.
Courtesy of Hackensack Meridian Health
Following a friend’s recommendation, Campione traveled to Jersey Shore University Medical Center and met with Dr. Nitesh V Patel, a neuro-oncologist at the Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute.
“Right after he looked at my case, he called me and mentioned several different types of brain tumors that he thought were causing my symptoms,” she said.
dr. Patel proposed that Campione undergo a craniotomy while she was awake to remove the brain tumor while preserving her speech, using a technology called Quicktome Connectomics.
Quicktome Brain Mapping Technology is an FDA-cleared technology that maps how a person’s brain works by providing a visual representation of which parts of the brain are used to perform complex functions such as “language, movement and cognition.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(561x0:563x2)/Cancer-Patient-Sings-Taylor-Swift-Brain-Surgery-032124-3-508a80903fa44d438edc209711981710.jpg)
Selena Campione during brain surgery.
Courtesy of Hackensack Meridian Health
This meant Campione had to stay awake during the operation and engage the parts of her brain used to control speech – which glowed orange and pink on the QuickTome technology map of her brain – showing doctors which areas to keep intact.
To keep the speech parts of her brain working continuously (keeping the visual on the screen), Dr. Patel decided to sing.
“Singing allows me to continuously monitor the patient’s speech, cadence and rhythm without the interruptions and pauses that occur during the conversation,” he explained in a statement.
Campione — a self-proclaimed “Swiftie” — said she knew right away she wanted to sing Taylor Swift songs.
“My two daughters are huge Taylor Swift fans, as am I. I listen to her music 24 hours a day, in my car, in my house. I could sing with her on stage if she wanted to,” she said. “So it just made sense to sing it during the surgery. It helped me, I felt like my daughters were with me.”
She added: “The nurses told me, ‘You’re going to have fun in the operating room with Dr. Patel.’ I was like, ‘Really?'”
Cancer patient sings all 50 states during brain surgery: ‘I never forgot it’
During the surgery, Dr. Patel and his team removed Campione’s brain tumor and monitored her speech as she sang along to some of Swift’s biggest hits, including “22,” “Style” and “Shake It Off.”
“It was fantastic,” admitted Campione. “I didn’t feel anything. The sisters held my hand, guided me through everything and sang with me. I even think I turned doctors into Swifties. You see them in one of the videos tapping to the beat with their tools.”
“My daughters were with me throughout the operation. “Knowing that he would be singing along with me helped me through the surgery,” she continued.
Dr. Patel’s surgery was ultimately successful and the tumor was not cancerous. Now, several months after the surgery, Campione said she is symptom-free and able to return to her normal life while undergoing routine check-ups.
“Now my younger daughter says her teacher Taylor Swift was in the operating room singing with me,” she said, noting that while the videos of her singing aren’t great, they make for a good story. “Sure, it’s a little awkward, I don’t think Taylor Swift will want me on stage with her anytime soon.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education