Skip to content
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Menu
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Happy News

She Played This Instrument During Her Brain Surgery

Denise Bacon, a 65-year-old retired speech therapist from East Sussex with Parkinson’s disease, played clarinet during four-hour brain surgery and experienced instant improvement in her finger movements as electrical current reached her brain. She had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2014 and had to stop playing in the East Grinstead Concert Band five years ago when the disease affected her ability to walk, swim, dance, and play her beloved instrument. Professor Keyoumars Ashkan performed deep brain stimulation at King’s College Hospital, making holes half the size of a five pence piece in her skull after placing a frame on her head that acted like a sat nav to guide electrodes to precise positions. Ms Bacon stayed awake with only local anaesthetic to numb her scalp and skull, allowing doctors to see results in real time.

The moment stimulation was delivered, her right hand moved with much more ease and she could play the clarinet again, something that delighted both her and the surgical team. Deep brain stimulation uses electrodes implanted in the brain and is suitable for some patients with disorders like Parkinson’s, though not everyone qualifies for the procedure. Ms Bacon says she’s already experiencing improvements in her ability to walk and is keen to get back in the swimming pool and on the dance floor to see if those abilities have improved too. Professor Ashkan said they were delighted to see the instant improvement in her hand movements and her ability to play once the brain stimulation began working.

PrevPrevious80 Year Old Finishes World Championship

Recent Articles

Happy News

The Abandoned Chow Chow Who Found His Perfect Family

October 27, 2025

Teddy, a fluffy Chow Chow, was heartbreakingly abandoned when his family moved without a second thought for their pet, but Paws R Us in Johannesburg took him in and quickly found a family that fell in love with him. The problem was distance because his new family lived in Gqeberha

Read More
Happy News

This Dam Removal Could Save Endangered Species

October 27, 2025

The Nature Conservancy purchased four dams along Maine’s lower Kennebec River for $138 million in a deal that will open hundreds of miles of prime spawning habitat for endangered Atlantic salmon for the first time in a century. The Weston, Shawmut, Hydro-Kennebec, and Lockwood dams currently prevent ocean-going fish like

Read More
Happy News

The First Antidote For The Silent Killer Could Save Thousands

October 27, 2025

University of Maryland researchers developed the first-ever antidote for carbon monoxide poisoning using an engineered protein called RcoM-HBD-CCC that acts like a sponge to rapidly soak up the toxic gas from blood. Carbon monoxide poisoning causes 50,000 emergency room visits and about 1,500 deaths in the US each year, with

Read More
« Previous Next »
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2025 HappyNews.