MSK patient Maggie Chess developed a sudden passion and talent for abstract painting following her recovery from brain surgery, a rare outcome that has transformed Maggie into a successful artist. Pictured: Maggie's recent painting '11/2025,' part of an ongoing series. (Courtesy of Maggie Chess)
Maggie Chess holds a special place in her heart for the neurosurgeons at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). Brain surgery at MSK, in 2021, saved Maggie’s life and gave her family much needed hope.
But what makes Maggie’s case extraordinary is what she discovered post-surgery. In an incredibly rare outcome that no one, including her doctors, could have predicted, Maggie Chess had been transformed into a gifted artist.
Her family was dumbfounded. “I tell you, there was absolute shock,” says her sister, Maeve. “There really was shock.”
The brain surgery seemed to have unlocked a passion — and a remarkable talent — for abstract painting. “I can’t explain it,” says Maggie. “I knew nothing about art,” she says. “Nothing.”
Diagnosed With NF2 Brain Tumor, Treated by MSK Neurofibromatosis Specialists
MSK spine neurosurgeon, Mark Bilsky, MD
Before Maggie came to MSK, she had spent years suffering from painful headaches and sporadic muscle weakness that baffled her doctors in New Jersey. One day, unable to lift her head or get off the couch, she ended up in the emergency room.
“I kept telling the local hospital, ‘It’s my head. Something’s not right,’ ’’ Maggie remembers. Testing by local doctors revealed a brain tumor with an initially grim prognosis by the neurologist. “He told me that I had a small tumor in the bottom of my brain, and it was inoperable.”
Maggie quickly sought help at MSK, where she met with MSK neurosurgeon, Cameron Brennan, MD, who specializes in brain tumors. Maggie was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis type 2, also called NF2, which is a genetic condition that causes benign tumors to grow along the nerves. MSK has a special clinic devoted to neurofibromatosis tumors.
Maggie had her first surgery with Dr. Brennan, who successfully removed two tumors in her brain, in 2021. A year later, MSK spine neurosurgeon, Mark Bilsky, MD, removed another tumor from the top of her spinal cord.
A Slow Recovery, Then Sudden Inspiration
Maggie, who is in her 60s, married, and the mother of two adult children, spent the next year recovering from both surgeries and stabilizing her NF2 condition. She had to leave her job in sales and marketing.
Her sister, Maeve, can pinpoint the day when Maggie the artist began to emerge. They were sitting at her kitchen table, late December 2023, when Maggie unexpectedly announced: “You know what? I’m gonna take up painting.”
Maggie’s painting ’Into the Woods,’ 2024 (courtesy of Maggie Chess)
Maeve was happy to support her sister in a new hobby, even if it came as a surprise to everyone who knew Maggie. She had never shown a whiff of curiosity, or talent, when it came to art. In truth, says Maeve, Maggie couldn’t be trusted to paint a wall.
“She never drew. She definitely never painted, never went to art classes,” says Maeve. “There was just no indication that she had an interest in art — ever.”
But within weeks of her announcement at the kitchen table, Maggie was creating gorgeous, colorful, powerfully expressive canvases. When Maeve told her the works reminded her of the great American artist Jackson Pollack, Maggie had to Google his name. “I was, like, I don’t even know who that is,” she admits.
Quick Success: From Coffee House to Gallery
Within the year, Maggie’s paintings were getting noticed. A trendy local coffee shop first displayed her art — when a customer visiting from out of town bought two of the paintings, it seemed to be a sign that Maggie’s art was something special. And when the art gallery at the public library in Lambertville, New Jersey, showcased her work, she sold eight paintings — a huge success. A few months later, the J. Nunez Gallery, which specializes in abstract art, asked to represent her work.
“My husband says he doesn’t know where this came from — it’s like the surgeon went into my brain and flipped on some little switch,” Maggie says. “My whole family was, like, ‘What happened when you were in that operation?’ ”
Brain Surgery, Art, and MSK Rehabilitation Services
What is the link between brain surgery and artistic skill? It’s a question that intrigues doctors too, says MSK Rehabilitation Medicine Specialist, Julia Reilly, MD, who has been seeing Maggie every four to six months since her surgery.
Dr. Reilly notes that Maggie’s surgery was performed on the right side of her brain. “The right side of the brain is often thought to contribute to creativity and art,” she says. “In the process of healing from that surgery, some rewiring occurs. Could it have led Maggie to develop some new interest or passion?”
Dr. Julia Reilly of MSK’s Rehabilitation Service
The connection between art and the brain is an area of particular interest in rehabilitation medicine, especially when a patient with no previous interest in painting is driven to pick up a brush after brain surgery, a stroke, traumatic brain injury, or other neurological condition. While the mechanisms behind this burst of talent aren’t well understood, there are theories.
As Dr. Reilly notes, one theory is that the brain’s neuroplasticity — its ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural pathways and connections — makes such transformations possible. Others hypothesize that we may all have, hidden deep in our brains, artistic skill that’s not readily accessible to the conscious mind but that might be surfaced by the brain’s healing process.
The Healing Power of Art
It was Dr. Reilly’s routine question during a follow-up appointment last year — “What have you been doing?” — that opened her eyes to Maggie’s incredible artistic transformation. She was stunned and deeply impressed by the quality of Maggie’s work.
Maggie with her husband, Ron, at the opening of her show at Lambertville Public Library, in December 2024
“Maggie is so humble,” Dr. Reilly says. “I haven’t seen many cases of something like this, where a patient states that they have no artistic ability, and then they grow into this really amazing artist.”
While Maggie discovered her inner artist on her own, MSK’s Rehabilitation Services helped her recovery in other ways — the surgery left Maggie with minor physical impairments, including tingling in her leg, which is why she was first referred to Dr. Reilly.
Rehabilitation doctors at MSK work with patients to help them cope with the challenges related to treatment as well as the normal wear-and-tear of aging — so patients can return to doing the things they love. Rehabilitation specialists diagnose conditions that can limit mobility, strength, balance, and other functions, and can also help with painful nerve and muscle disorders. Treatment may include medication, exercise, and self-care methods.
Maggie says she’s doing well. Her NF2 is stable, and she has no cognitive issues.
Maggie’s artwork is beautiful, but it’s also a powerful inspiration to other rehab patients: “It helps them know,” says Dr. Reilly, “that they have no idea how much they may be able to improve or what they can return to.”
Maggie, who now paints every day, says that while the success and accolades are nice, it’s the act of painting that matters above all else. It brings her joy and a sense of calm. Even on stressful days, it’s a haven.
Maggie tells herself: “You know what? I’m just gonna paint. This is a lifesaver.”