'I Don't Know How I'm Alive': Experimental Treatment Giving Hope To Chester Man With Long History Of Brain Surgeries
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- An experimental treatment is helping Philadelphia doctors perform a more advanced, detailed form of surgery. It's called fluorescent guided surgery and it was first developed for lung operations. It's now being used on the brain to illuminate tumors that aren't normally visible.
One patient at Penn is hoping the therapy will end his long history of brain surgeries.
"He's had more brain surgeries than anybody human I know," Penn Medicine Dr. John Lee said.
Sonny Pinkney is legendary at Penn Medicine. The 37-year-old has had 13 operations on his brain.
"I'm doing a lot better," he said.
Pinkney's had a series of meningiomas, the most common type of benign brain tumor.
"There's something strange about his biology," Lee said.
Pinkney, who lives in Chester, had his first surgery when he was just 14 years old.
"Anything that could be done with the human brain, I have undergone," he said. "I have my days, some days are good and some days are not so good."
For his most recent surgery in July, Lee used an experimental injectable dye called tumor-glow, which was developed at Penn.
"It's just glowing, just like that light bulb," Lee said.
The dye accumulates in the tumor, which is detected with a special light and camera during surgery, enhancing what surgeons can see to be able to more precisely remove the tumor without causing collateral damage to healthy tissue.
"When you look with your eyes, you just see the brain," Lee said. "But when you turn on the excitation light and then use the camera, all of a sudden you see much more. Surgery is the story of light. You have to see in order to be able to cut."
Remarkably, Pinkney has very few lingering issues related to all of the brain surgeries.
"I don't know how I'm alive," he said.
Alive and thriving, which he credits to his family.
Pinkney says he's also grateful to Lee, who he calls a friend.
"Without you, I'd be six feet under," Pinkney said.
Pinkney says he doesn't have headaches anymore, but he sometimes struggles with weakness in his leg.
They're now waiting to see if the tumor comes back.