Music over medicine: 65-year-old plays clarinet during brain surgery

Dubai: In an extraordinary blend of music and medicine, Denise Bacon, a 65-year-old woman living with Parkinson’s disease, played the clarinet during brain surgery at King’s College Hospital in London.

Denise, who had been diagnosed over a decade ago, saw her ability to play gradually diminish as tremors and stiffness affected her hands. Surgeons performed a deep-brain stimulation (DBS) procedure — an advanced treatment that uses implanted electrodes to control the abnormal signals causing her symptoms.

Throughout the operation, Denise remained awake and was handed her clarinet. As doctors adjusted the electrode placement, she began to play. The surgical team monitored her motor response in real time, fine-tuning the stimulation to optimise results.

“I could feel my fingers move more freely almost instantly,” she said afterwards, describing the moment as “life-changing.”

While DBS is not a cure for Parkinson’s, it can significantly reduce tremors and improve quality of life. Denise’s musical performance symbolised more than just a medical milestone — it marked the return of a cherished part of her identity, showing how art and science can harmonise in the most unexpected ways.

With inputs from Agencies