NO MORE
SHAKING A HIGH-TECH PROCEDURE HELPS TO CONTROL THE SYMPTOMS OF PARKINSON’S DISEASE.
Healthy Together
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n 2013, Mike McCormack of Wyckoff was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Over the next five years, he struggled with the neurological disorder, which affects movement. Even with medication, the father of three had tremors and numbness on his left side, which caused him to drag his foot. Occasionally, this resulted in tripping and falling. An avid outdoorsman, Mike had to stop hiking, skiing and participating in other activities. He also developed a stutter.
“I knew I had to do something,” recalls Mike, now 57. “I was maxed out on the medications and experiencing side effects. Quite frankly, I was something of a mess.” Thankfully, Mike’s life began to turn around in April 2019 when he underwent a procedure known as deep brain stimulation (DBS) at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH). “The operation involves putting two wires into the brain, which are connected to a generator in the chest,” explains
Fall 2020
9/24/20 9:36 AM
