Testimonials
Hi, I am Dr Sanjay Vhora and here I attempt to put into words the immense inspiration I have from the lives of these few people. They played pivotal role in changing my life to say the least.
- Dr.K.E.Turel
Dr Turel taught me 2 important things. First it was because of his incessant desire to perfect the art of operating under the microscope that I adapted this important aspect of neurosurgery very early in my career. The second was his idea of holding back criticism of anyone and using it as an energy source for ones own betterment. My initial exposure to microscopic neurosurgery I attribute to Dr Turel and it would be an understatement to say that many of my micro-neurosurgical skills were inculcated in me by Dr Turel.
- Dr.S.N.Bhagwati, Emeritus Prof. of Neurosurgery
Dr Bhagwati, a surgeon, a disciplinarian and my mentor. If it was not for Dr Bhagwati’s constant guidance and mentorship I would never have taken the initiative to travel abroad to see and learn what the neurosurgeons in the world were doing and achieving in the realms of neurosurgery. Travelling abroad broadened my view of the domain of neurosurgery and my thought process.
Dr Bhagwati is the reason behind my excellent repertoire of neurosurgical skills achieved by getting trained in Japan and England.
- Prof.Sherigeki Kobayashi
Prof. Kobayashi, a disciplinarian to the core, a surgeon with immense skill and a soft hearted personality. Prof. Kobayashi’s pleasant personality and his knack of paying individual attention to his trainees and making sure that all his trainees achieved the highest possible level of perfection. This training helped me perfect the art of microneurosurgery in Japan. With his special and unique methods of teaching, often even with the use of chop-sticks, Dr Kobayashi has definitely left his mark on me as a teacher and as a very good friend.
- Prof.Nehal Gurusinge
Dr Gurusinge taught me to treat the operating room with as much respect as I would treat my place of worship. The intricate rules of patient positioning during surgery, and its importance was taught to me by him. Absolutely essential aspects of asepsis were always on his priority list and these aspects got rooted in me to a great extent. His sense of utmost responsibility while operating on a human brain was evident by the fact that even while he was busy in the clinic he had a video camera in the operating room via which he could see what was happening in the operating room on a television in his clinic. The art of pre-operative planning, utmost surgical dexterity, and the highest sense of professionalism and responsibility towards the patient is what I learnt from Dr Gurusinge.
- Snehal Pargaonkar: "Thank you Dr Vhora"
Dr Sanjay Vhora operated upon a subacute subdural hematoma present along the brain of my 88 year old father.
When he saw the MRI he told us all the risks involved in a brisk, routine, emotionless monotone.
The operation was scheduled for the next morning. In the intervening period a brain scan threw light on just how serious the situation was; there was a lot of pooled blood and because the internal bleeding had probably begun a few months ago there were clots and membranes too.
The gruff, matter of fact surgeon of the previous day was transformed into one of the most caring and sensitive persons that I have ever come across.
In his own words he had come early to the hospital because he had to explain the difficulty level of the operation to us (an ignorant, clueless brother-sister duo).
He told us we could drill burr holes to drain out the blood .. a relatively easy procedure. However, as there were membranes between which the blood was trapped, chances were high that all the blood wouldn’t be able to drain out.
The second choice was to go the whole length, carve out a window in the skull and remove all of the blood, clots, membranes .. all of the unwanted clutter.
The third choice was to drill the burr holes and if all the blood did not drain out then opt for the operation.
It was obvious that we actually had no choice in the matter but sir was sensitive enough to give us a few minutes to recover from the hard hitting facts.
When we were unable to put in words what the doctor knew was in our minds he said it out loud, that we would move ahead with the second choice. And then he stood up because there was no time to lose.
I then shook hands with the hands which were going to slice open my dad; the steadiness of these hands would determine the future direction of my dad’s life.
I recollected all that he had told me the day before - my dad could recover completely, become a vegetable, have seizures, .. the list was endless and of-course the one possibility which he didn’t mention but is always present in any operation.
I wished him good luck as we stood aside to watch that gentle, giant of a surgeon walk on to his home turf, where he and his team would use their knowledge and skill to do their best to cure our dad.
He walked out a few hours later to tell us that the operation had been uneventful and that he had been able to do all that he had set out to do. His team were closing and stitching up my dad.
My dad regained consciousness but could register nothing, he was staring vacantly at the walls, couldn’t move, couldn’t talk, couldn’t do anything. To add to the misery he was also a victim of focal seizures. It was traumatic for us to witness and must have been even worse for him to endure.
We met Dr Vhora again on the next day in the counselling room of the NTU where my Dad was shifted to and well looked after for two weeks after the operation.
One look at our traumatised faces and he said, “your dad will talk again, your dad will walk again”.
The actuality of what I had witnessed in my dad’s cubicle and the mirage that sir was creating for me in the counselling room of the same NTU actually made me gasp for air.
I desperately wanted to believe him because of the supreme confidence with which he had said it and also because hope is what keeps one afloat.
At the moment we are in the phase of a long, long, long time of slow recovery .. of setbacks chasing the heels of progress, of numb days and sleepless nights, of anger and sorrow, of guilt and joy.
And amidst it all the mirage that Dr Vhora had created for us on day two of the operation has come true… my dad can walk (with support) and talk (at times unclear).
Thank you sir, thank you so much for everything! Not only are you a great surgeon you are a magician too!
