Photo: Michael Myers | Unsplash
Denise Bacon underwent brain surgery, known as Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), in London’s King’s College Hospital in July. The semiprofessional musician was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2014 and its symptoms greatly affected her ability to feed herself, walk and play her beloved clarinet, eventually forcing her to leave the concert band she played for. One of the goals for the procedure was to help her play again, said Keyoumars Ashkan, the neurosurgeon who carried out the operation. Bacon was awake for the surgery and played the clarinet so doctors could analyze the immediate effect as they place electrodes into the brain. “You can, on the table, immediately see the effect of the surgery,” Ashkan said. In Bacon’s case, as soon as the electrode was placed, doctors witnessed her finger movement becoming “immediately better,” he said. Bacon said in a statement that she was “delighted” with the outcome of the surgery. Having noticed improvements in walking and playing the clarinet, she has another place she wants to test her regained mobility: the dance floor.
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