Centereach man has awake craniotomy; enjoys wedding reception at hospital days later

Just days after having a brain tumor removed during South Shore University Hospital’s first awake craniotomy, a Centereach man left the Bay Shore facility on Friday expected to make a full recovery.

Tests at the hospital revealed that Luis Pagan, 36, who suffered an epileptic seizure on May 9, had the brain tumor and that he was a candidate for the brain surgery, according to reports. Just prior to the surgery, Pagan was married in the hospital’s chapel to his now wife, Nicole.

On Friday, hospital workers held a festive wedding reception for the couple outside of the building.

“I feel like I almost love these people, so it felt like I was getting rolled in with family, and I’m glad it happened the way it did,” Pagan said in a News12 report. “I feel like everything happened for a reason.”

The hospital in an Instagram post shared video footage and photos of Pagan’s miraculous discharge and wedding reception.

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“We keep the patient awake during the main part of the procedure and we use electric current to stimulate the brain and evaluate the patient clinically and get real-time feedback,” neurosurgeon Dr. Georgios Klironomos told Fox 5.

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