At the age of 26, Avi Yaron was involved in a motorcycle accident. A CT scan revealed that he had a brain tumor. It was in a nasty location. Removing it would save his life, but leave him dysfunctional cognitively, handicapped physically, and epileptic.

He searched for alternatives to surgery. In the process, he realized that he had been neglecting his body. He had been addicted to stress, to not sleeping. He suspected that his crazy lifestyle had suppressed his immune system and may have led to his inability to fight off the tumor. He decided to manage his stress better and improve his nutrition.

In 1993, Israeli Avi Yaron discovered he had a brain tumor. He learned that the instruments needed to remove the tumor completely had not yet been invented. There was nothing available that was small enough to see inside his brain. Yaron decided he needed to invent the instrument himself and set to work developing a scope small enough to see inside the brain. He used insect eyes as the model for how the scope would create a 3D view of the brain. In his miraculous story, he discusses the emotional side of of medical research.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx