John F. Alksne M.D.

Dr Allene performed an MVD on me in 1996. He saved my life as I was preparing for suicide due to trigeminal neuralgia. He was the only one to help me. I bless him and hope he is somewhere doing the things he loved.

I just read about Dr. Alksne´s passing and am profoundly sad to hear such a kind gentleman and outstanding surgeon is no longer here to support people like me who have struggled with Trigeminal Neuralgia for 50 years. Dr. Peter Janetta referred me to him for a micro vascular decompression brain surgery. While the 12 1/2 hour brain surgery did not take away my pain, Dr. Alksne kept trying other procedures and referred me for gamma knife surgery. Nothing worked, so my deep gratitude is not for...

I just found out about Dr. Alksne. My heart goes out to his family. I was a patient of Dr.Alksne many, many years ago. He saved me from pain from the time I was wheeled out from UCSD Thornton hospital. He was an amazing doctor and an amazing man.

In loving memory of a wonderful person. We will love you and miss you always.

I´m saddened to hear of Dr. Alksne´s passing. My deepest sympathies to his family, friends and colleagues. I will forever hold special memories for the help he extended to me for my battle with Trigeminal neuralgia.

In 1976 when I was 18, Dr. Alksne removed a tumor from lower spine and saved my life. About a dozen years ago I was doing a carpentry job for the school of medicine at UCSD and he agreed to have coffee with me after all those years had passed. He was a bright light.

John Alksne was an amazing role model when I started my neurosurgery training at UC San Diego over two decades ago. He was a true gentleman and treated everyone with the utmost respect. He cared deeply about his patients, the residency program, and the residents under his tutelage. He and Ophelia welcomed the residents into their homes and were always gracious hosts. Neurosurgery and the UCSD family lost a pioneer and a legendary figure. My sympathies to the Alksne family for the loss of such...

To the entire Alksne Family and friends: I first meet John in summer of 1968 after he left Harbor General Hospital:UCLA and went to Medical College of Virginia in Richmond. Neurosurgeon, Dr. Don Becker, my first major mentor replaced And introduce me to Dr. Alksne. Then in 1971, John Assumed the position of the chairman and Professor of neurological surgery at UCSD. I occasionally ran into him when I attended medical school at UCSF and worked with the neurosurgery department under the...

John Alksne was a major reason I became a neurosurgeon. As a medical student at UCSD (my first clinical rotation) I saw him in action, and was inspired. I was intending to go into Neurology at that time, and one week into the rotation it occurred to be suddenly and unexpectedly that I could be a neurosurgeon. It was a great choice, and I ended up training at the University of Washington, where he had done his residency. He was then, and continued to be, very kind to me throughout my...