Brain surgeon shares experiences, lessons
Doctor honored as 'Real Hero' for life-saving surgery
Luke Anderson
Issue date: 4/6/09 Section: Campus News
"The first thing that I always remember is whenever you are speaking to a group of people you need to know your subject. I think I know my subject. The second thing is you need to know your audience and I think I know my audience."
And with that, Dr. Kamal Thapar took off his coat and unveiled a "UWEC Blugolds" T-shirt, all to laughter and applause from the audience.
Thapar is a neurosurgeon at Sacred Heart Hospital, director of the Brain and Spine Institute and Medical Director of Tertiary Care. He spoke to a full auditorium last Thursday in Phillips Hall, discussing his personal experiences as a neurosurgeon and how new technology is greatly impacting his field.
Thapar used his experiences and compared them to life lessons, what he called "Brain Surgery 101: Lessons from the Operating Room." He told the audience that people live by choice and not by chance, that life is hard and not always fair, small things make a big difference and to be kinder than necessary. For each of these points, Thapar focused on a patient whom he had saved.
"You always have to do the right thing," he said. "You will always have a fork in the road and you need to choose the right path … navigating the brain is no different than navigating life."
One of Thapar's patients was Haesung Won, a 22- year-old Korean student who came to UW-Eau Claire to learn English in 2006. Won collapsed in a residence hall shortly after she arrived because of a blood clot and hemorrhage in her brain. Thapar successfully removed the clot and corrected blood vessels in her brain, but she remained in a coma for 30 days, he said.
"She was virtually near death," Thapar said. "Could you imagine being a stranger in a strange land and something like this happened to you?"
Thapar, who was later recognized as a "Real Hero" by the Chippewa Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross, said the student eventually pulled through, with the help of many people from the community and the university.
And with that, Dr. Kamal Thapar took off his coat and unveiled a "UWEC Blugolds" T-shirt, all to laughter and applause from the audience.
Thapar is a neurosurgeon at Sacred Heart Hospital, director of the Brain and Spine Institute and Medical Director of Tertiary Care. He spoke to a full auditorium last Thursday in Phillips Hall, discussing his personal experiences as a neurosurgeon and how new technology is greatly impacting his field.
Thapar used his experiences and compared them to life lessons, what he called "Brain Surgery 101: Lessons from the Operating Room." He told the audience that people live by choice and not by chance, that life is hard and not always fair, small things make a big difference and to be kinder than necessary. For each of these points, Thapar focused on a patient whom he had saved.
"You always have to do the right thing," he said. "You will always have a fork in the road and you need to choose the right path … navigating the brain is no different than navigating life."
One of Thapar's patients was Haesung Won, a 22- year-old Korean student who came to UW-Eau Claire to learn English in 2006. Won collapsed in a residence hall shortly after she arrived because of a blood clot and hemorrhage in her brain. Thapar successfully removed the clot and corrected blood vessels in her brain, but she remained in a coma for 30 days, he said.
"She was virtually near death," Thapar said. "Could you imagine being a stranger in a strange land and something like this happened to you?"
Thapar, who was later recognized as a "Real Hero" by the Chippewa Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross, said the student eventually pulled through, with the help of many people from the community and the university.
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