Henry Ford neurosurgery chair weighs in on Kelly Stafford's brain surgery

Kelly Stafford is at home and recovering after surgery to remove a brain tumor last week.

"It just shows you the power of modern medicine and imaging technology and surgical expertise," said Dr. Steven Kalkanis, chair of the Henry Ford Hospital Department of Neurosurgery.

That's what Dr. Kalkanis had to say after seeing the video Kelly Stafford, the wife of Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, posted of herself walking following the surgery.

"The fact that she's walking and talking and smiling tells me her facial function is great that her ability to stand on her own power -- these are the major things we hope for," he said.

Kelly released the video on Sunday when she took to Instagram to write: "This Easter is the beginning of a new life for me." She thanked everyone for their prayers and support and explained that what was supposed to be a six-hour surgery ended up being 12 hours long after surgeons found an abnormal vein.

"There is a branch of that vessel that is right in the way of where the surgeons need to be to remove the tumor and often times when we see that it adds hours and hours on to a case because you're literally under a microscope going cell by cell painstakingly removing and preserving that vessel," he said.

Dr. Kalkanis was not Kelly's surgeon but has performed this surgery on a number of patients who have this normally non-cancerous tumor that's located on the nerve leading from the ear to the brain. Kalkanis says Kelly appears to be on the right track to a full recovery but he points out there are issues that some patients could deal with over a long period of time.

"Dizziness, nausea, vomiting, balance issues, stamina, fatigue, hearing," he said.

Kelly wrote in her Instagram post that now that she is home. she is learning her "hew norm," and she knows that it will take some time.