21st February 2020
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Dagmar plays violin as brain tumour removed
Dagmar Turner playing violin during brain surgery
Isle of Wight woman Dagmar Turner has gained worldwide recognition this week after being filmed playing a violin while surgeons at King’s College Hospital, London, removed a tumour from her brain. But it was no publicity stunt – indeed far from it. The unusual approach was taken to ensure areas of Dagmar’s brain responsible for delicate hand movement and co-ordination, crucial components when playing the violin, were not inadvertently damaged during the millimetreprecise procedure. Dagmar, 53, who plays in the Isle of Wight Symphony Orchestra and various choral societies, was diagnosed in 2013 with a large Grade Two (slow growing) glioma after suffering a seizure during a symphony. She underwent biopsy and then radiotherapy to keep the tumour at bay, but when it became apparent last autumn that the tumour had grown and become more aggressive Dagmar, who has a 13-year-old son, was keen for surgery to remove it. The tumour was located in Continued on page 2