The groom was diagnosed with a tumor in the center of the brain

Will it pass until the wedding?: Gal Barzani, 37, from Carmel, was preparing for his wedding with Nofer (32), but a few weeks before the wedding, the intended groom was informed of a life-threatening brain tumor. “In recent years, I have been suffering from headaches and all kinds of sensations,” he says, “we did a lot of tests and a lot of inquiries, and each time the doctors thought it was heart or blood pressure problems, but no one thought to check my head. That night I went to sleep. Nofer, my wife, then my fiancee, woke up and saw me writhing in bed. She turned me over and called an ambulance. I don’t remember anything about it. When I woke up, I saw a lot of people around my bed.”

“It was a stressful scene,” recalls the new wife. “He suddenly started shaking all over, lost consciousness, and was foaming at the mouth. This has never happened before. When the ambulance arrived, they decided to turn to Rambam.”

Upon his arrival at the Rambam Medical Center, Barzani underwent a CT scan that showed a suspicious finding. In the MRI scan that followed, the picture was already quite clear. “The test showed brain cancer of the glioma type in grade 2, this is one of the common types of brain tumors,” explains Prof. Rachel Grossman, director of the brain tumor center and deputy director of the hospital’s neurosurgery department. “The tumor was located in a very deep and challenging place in the brain. The fact that this is a young man with no underlying diseases, allowed us to make a decision to remove the tumor as soon as possible.”

Within a week, the date for the complex surgery was set, during which Prof. Grossman removed most of the tumor from Barzani’s brain. “The excision was extensive, but when it comes to tumors of this type, because of their location, sensitivity and dangers, it is not possible to remove the whole thing,” she notes. “From a life-threatening condition, cancer becomes a chronic disease that the patient learns to live with. Later on, he may need biological treatment that goes into the basket, and perhaps another complementary surgery, follow-up after the convulsions and accompaniment by the clinic staff.

Preparations for the wedding from the bed in Rambam

For the couple who were, as mentioned, in the final stages of their wedding, this event could have played havoc with the cards. “When the professor arrived, she gave us the information right away, without embellishing the reality, but also gave us a sense of security that we are in good hands,” they share. “Our world turned upside down in an instant. Just a second ago we were busy planning the wedding, and a moment later we experienced a shocking moment,” says Barzani. “At that moment we decided that if Gal gets out of this alive, no matter how, we will get married,” recalls Nofer. “As soon as we received the results of the tests, the first question was whether it was possible to get married. When we received permission from the professor, we continued preparations for the wedding, as usual, from the bed in the Rambam ward.”

A few days after the operation, Barzani was released to his home, and he is now being treated with medication and is being monitored by the neurosurgery department. “Before the wedding, I was very stressed. I was afraid that the medical condition would make it difficult for me, that I would collapse, that I wouldn’t be able to stand on my feet,” he says. “We asked the staff about every little thing – if it is allowed to dance, drink or jump. Everything was approved. Now we have another challenge ahead of us – the tests, the doctors, life alongside the disease, but we will get through it all.”

“The disease could have erupted in any way and at any given time,” says Nofer. “But Gal fulfilled all the roles of the groom and showed that everything is possible. Prof. Grossman is our guardian angel. Everything that happened from the moment of the seizure went well. I’m glad we won.”