Patient returns to Houston Methodist 20 years after lifesaving surgery

Newswise — More than two decades ago, Mitra Kamali, 4 1/2 months pregnant with twins at age 45, was having lunch with her husband in Houston when out of nowhere she suffered a major seizure.

Dr. David Baskin and patient Mitra Kamali, November 2024.

She worked as a drilling engineer at the time and was healthy and fit. But the seizure prompted an MRI, which showed a malignant brain tumor. Everyone thought she was going to die along with her unborn children.

She was directed to Houston Methodist neurosurgeon David Baskin, MD, who removed the tumor in a 12 ½-hour surgery. Mitra survived, and so did her twin boys. Ever since, her life has been guided by an enduring sense of gratitude. And her follow-up MRIs throughout the years are clear of brain cancer.

Now a successful artist living with her family in Arizona, Mitra returned to Houston Methodist Hospital recently to present Baskin with a special painting entitled ‘Human Connection.’

“We are all born to make the world a little better,” she said. “If we didn’t have Dr. Baskin, we never would have had the chance.” Her painting, when illuminated with a black light, highlights the human heart. It now hangs in the Kenneth R. Peak Brain and Pituitary Tumor Treatment & Research Center at Houston Methodist Hospital.

While many scientific studies verify a link between gratitude and greater emotional health and overall feelings of well-being, a first-of-its-kind study published in July shows a potential physical link as well. The study, “Gratitude and Mortality Among Older Female Nurses” in JAMA Psychiatry, provided the first scientific evidence that gratitude can be linked to increased longevity among older adults. While more studies with broader population samples are needed, the study supports the theory that being grateful can be good for us – mentally and physically.

Throughout his long career at Houston Methodist, Baskin has received countless messages from grateful patients, and he sees gratitude’s healing power daily. Just recently he heard from a woman who considers her eyesight a daily gift after Baskin removed a complex optic tumor 23 years ago; another patient, now 32, had his life interrupted by a brain tumor while in college a decade ago, but last summer was inspired to enroll in medical school.

“These letters mean a lot to me,” Baskin says. “They illustrate how a grateful heart adds meaning and perspective to people’s lives. And I do believe gratitude can help us heal in our minds and in our bodies.”