Kira Ianconetti is a 19 year old musician with big dreams to pursue a career in musical theatre.
There was one big problem for Kira, though . . . She was diagnosed with music-triggered epilepsy due to a brain tumor pushing on her auditory cortex. With a prognosis of possibly never being able to sing again, Kira was crushed.
She shares, “It just [felt] like a light switch switches in my brain and suddenly I’m tone deaf. I can’t sing. I can’t process the words in time with the music.”
Once doctors at Seattle Children’s Hospital decided that the were going operate, they wanted to ensure as best as possible that they wouldn’t ruin Kira’s career dreams, so they had her SING during the brain surgery. This way, the doctors could more easily identify areas of Kira’s brain the needed to avoid while removing the tumor.
As pediatric neurosurgeon Jason Hauptman tells it, “Our focus is not only on taking care of the tumor, [it’s] about making her life better and preserving the things she cares about.”
The surgery was a success, and Kira was back to doing what she loves most only two days post-op.
Check it out:
(MSN / Inside Edition)
