{"id":208111,"date":"2023-12-20T13:50:59","date_gmt":"2023-12-20T18:50:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=208111"},"modified":"2023-12-20T13:50:59","modified_gmt":"2023-12-20T18:50:59","slug":"connecticut-surgeons-at-uconn-bring-brazilian-man-pain-relief","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2023\/12\/connecticut-surgeons-at-uconn-bring-brazilian-man-pain-relief\/","title":{"rendered":"Connecticut Surgeons at UConn Bring Brazilian Man Pain Relief"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cMerry Christmas!\u201d exclaims Rafael Azevedo.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Rafael celebrating with his UConn Health ENT surgeon Dr. Daniel Roberts.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s a very Merry Christmas season indeed for Azevedo, all who love him, and all those who successfully cared for him at UConn Health.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou saved my life,\u201d Azevedo emotionally shares, with his wife Luana Diniz Tormin translating for him just days before Christmas at UConn Health\u2019s Outpatient Pavilion after a follow-up outpatient visit with his surgical team.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur hearts are now full of hope,\u201d heartwarmingly says his wife Tormin. \u201cWe have a lot of happiness. Many people are calling Rafael\u2019s pain relief a Christmas miracle.\u201d<\/p>\n

She adds: \u201cWe are very happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

And the smile on Azevedo\u2019s face really shows it.<\/p>\n

Azevedo on Dec. 1, 2023 had successful advanced brain surgery to bring him relief finally from the severe facial and ear pain that he\u2019s been battling for nearly a decade.<\/p>\n

He had neuralgia of multiple cranial nerves. The intense pain caused by the disease is unfortunately known as \u201csuicidal disease.\u201d<\/p>\n

The brain surgery for this rare disorder was made possible at UConn John Dempsey Hospital thanks to its surgical team\u2019s expertise, its state-of-the-art operating rooms and its powerful imaging capabilities including high-tech surgical microscope with augmented reality (AR) computer-generated digital imaging to visually assist surgeons during complex brain surgery.<\/p>\n

Thanks to the technology, surgeons performed microvascular nerve decompressions of the intermediate nerve and the glossopharyngeal nerve, along with the vagus nerve. In addition, a tympanic plexus neurectomy was performed to cure Azevedo\u2019s intractable pain syndrome.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Rafael with his surgeon Dr. Ketan Bulsara, chief of Neurosurgery at UConn Health (UConn Health Photo\/Tina Encarnacion).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe thought it was impossible to get to this day – but thanks to UConn Health we have done the impossible,\u201d says his wife. \u201cIt\u2019s been a successful journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Azevedo, \u201cIt\u2019s a dream come true. I have the best doctors in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Azevedo came to Connecticut from Brazil for care at UConn Health in September right after visiting the United Nations to advocate for greater rare disease treatment options and funding for care. That\u2019s when in-depth planning began for this personalized, complicated brain surgery at UConn Health by Chief of Neurosurgery Dr. Ketan Bulsara<\/a> and ENT surgeon Dr. Daniel Roberts,<\/a> co-directors of the Cranial Nerve and Brainstem Disorder Program<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have been all over Brazil and the world to find a cure. The cure was here in Connecticut.\u201d says Tormin.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe never thought we would find surgeons to treat Rafael and treat him with so much love,\u201d says Tormin. \u201cThe surgery was long and dangerous, but they did the best they could \u2013 and it\u2019s a perfect outcome. They saved Rafael\u2019s life. We may have different cultures, and countries, but it\u2019s love! There is love for humans in these surgeons\u2019 hearts. We always feel it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Rafael
Rafael and his wife Luana Diniz Tormin on Dec. 1, 2023 just before his 8-hour personalized, complex brain surgery was performed by Dr. Ketan Bulsara and Dr. Daniel Roberts using the advanced imaging capabilities of the operating rooms at UConn John Dempsey Hospital.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cRafael looks good and is like a totally new man. His surgery outcome is a real gift and very special, just like this Christmas time of year,\u201d says his surgeon, Roberts. \u201cHis care was a special opportunity to be able to help someone with a very rare condition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roberts says, \u201cThe multidisciplinary teamwork at UConn Health really made it possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

The surgeons want to sincerely thank all the members of the team ranging from the clinic staff to the OR staff, ICU staff, inpatient floor staff, and the anesthesia team for their help, skill, and services allowing for a safe and successful procedure.<\/p>\n

Azevedo learned about the surgical experience of Roberts and Bulsara through Brazilian neurosurgeon R\u00f4mulo Alberto Marques, a pain specialist at the Federal University of Goi\u00e1s, who found the research published by the two UConn Health doctors after months of in-depth study on Azevedo\u2019s rare case.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are grateful to Rafael and his family for the opportunity to care for him,\u201d says Bulsara. \u201cWe are very happy the pain syndrome that has afflicted Rafael for 10 years has resolved. He can now progress on with the rest of his life and reach his ambitions of becoming a pilot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bulsara says he and Roberts are grateful for the multidisciplinary excellence in the surgical and medical specialties at UConn Health and its leadership for facilitating this culture of excellence.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s amazing,\u201d says Tormin. \u201cIt is very special here at UConn, from the advanced operating room care to the little things like simple phone calls from the surgeons following-up. Similar to aviation, the surgeons at UConn Health were always doing a double-check to make sure things were safe and going well.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMany doctors we saw believed that pain relief was not possible,\u201d says Azevedo\u2019s wife. \u201cHe now has moments where he does not feel pain in his right ear and this had never happened before the surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Rafael\"
Rafael Azevedo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Azevedo shares: \u201cBefore surgery, and for the last 10 years, no major pain-killer medication had any effect. I can now manage my pain. Just over-the-counter pain medicine can help me now. It\u2019s only a matter of time, in a few months as my body heals. It will continue to improve.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next for Azevedo?<\/p>\n

\u201cMy next step is pursuing my dream of becoming an airline pilot,\u201d says Azevedo, who also aims to help other rare disease patients like him too.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur work is based on the 2021 resolution in favor of rare diseases, launched by the UN. A fight so that this vulnerable population has access to swift diagnosis, effective treatment and that each individual can be reintegrated into society,\u201d says Tormin.<\/p>\n

Azevedo concludes: \u201cAfter all my suffering, I don\u2019t want to see others suffer, with no access to cures or doctors. It was hard for me and us. Most people in my condition commit suicide. I want to stop suicides from happening. I want to help take care of other people. I want to help people reach the treatment they need.\u201d<\/p>\n

UConn Health and its surgeons do too.<\/p>\n

\"Rafael,
A very happy Rafael on Dec. 19, 2023 at UConn Health surrounded by his grateful wife, friends, Neurosurgeon Dr. Ketan Bulsara, Neurosurgery Resident Dr. Taylor Burch and PA Anna Sweeney (UConn Health Photo\/Tina Encarnacion).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe were very happy to work with Rafael and his family, friends and so many others, as well as our exceptional health care team to provide this wonderful outcome. \u00a0Happy holidays to all!,\u201d says Anne Horbatuck, RN,\u00a0Chief Operating Officer for the UConn Medical Group and Vice President of Ambulatory Services at UConn Health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

‘You saved my life’: After a decade of suffering from unbearable facial and ear pain caused by a rare disease, Rafael Azevedo of Brazil found UConn Health and its skilled surgeons<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":98,"featured_media":208119,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2284,2235,179],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[1873],"class_list":["post-208111","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-brain-spine-institute","category-today-homepage","category-uconn-health"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-25 11:31:38","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208111","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/98"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=208111"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208111\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":208139,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208111\/revisions\/208139"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/208119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=208111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=208111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=208111"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=208111"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=208111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}