Austin, TX — One Central Texas resident is celebrating his 71st birthday today with something he once wasn’t sure he’d get back, a chance to perform music again.
For Milton Bertolio, music has always been part of his life. After decades focused on his career, health challenges began to take center stage when worsening vision problems and headaches led him to seek medical care about a year ago.
Doctors discovered a pituitary macroadenoma, a benign tumor located at the base of his brain.
Milton was referred to Dr. Alexa Bodman, a neurological surgeon at St. David’s Medical Center, who performed an endoscopic transsphenoidal procedure last October to remove the tumor.
The surgery was successful, and Milton says the difference has been life-changing.
Now retired and feeling better than he has in years, he’s rediscovering a passion that had been on hold for decades.
For the first time since the 1970s, Milton is performing in front of an audience again. He takes weekly guitar lessons and recently shared his music with family and friends during a performance at Austin’s Green Mesquite BBQ.
As he celebrates his 71st birthday today, Milton says he’s thankful for a second chance, not only to enjoy better health, but to once again do what he loves most.
He hopes to continue making music and sharing it with others for years to come.