A 65-year-old woman from East Sussex, Denise Bacon, has amazed doctors by playing her clarinet during brain surgery for Parkinson’s disease and feeling instant improvement in her hand movement.
Denise, a retired speech and language therapist, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2014. Over the years, the disease made it difficult for her to walk, swim, dance, and even play her clarinet, which she once performed with in the East Grinstead Concert Band. She had to give up playing five years ago as her symptoms worsened.
Doctors at King’s College Hospital performed a procedure called Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) on her. During the surgery, electrodes were placed in specific areas of her brain to deliver small electrical pulses that help control movement problems.
To test the effect of the stimulation, Denise played her clarinet while doctors monitored her brain activity. The result was immediate her fingers moved more smoothly, and she could play again.
“I remember my right hand moving with much more ease once the stimulation was applied,” Denise said with joy. “It was amazing to feel that improvement so quickly. I was truly delighted.”
Doctors said the surgery went very well and that Denise’s experience shows how DBS can bring instant and visible results for some patients. The technique is becoming an important treatment option for people living with Parkinson’s disease, helping them regain control of their movements and improve their quality of life.
For Denise, the moment was not just a medical success it was a return to music, something she thought she had lost forever.