Announcer: A 15-year-old Jordan Jacobs is passionate about playing drums in his high
school band.
Jordan Jacobs: This is really fun.
I love it.
Announcer: Jordan also loves basketball, baseball and track.
But sports have been frustrating at times because Jordan has battled a life threatening
medical condition for most of his life.
Nicole Jacobs: The first time that Jordan start having problems with his eye was just
a few days after his fourth birthday.
Announcer: In Kansas, doctors thought that food allergy was causing his swollen left
eye.
Then doctors in Maine thought it was brain cancer.
Finally, doctors in Massachusetts identified Jordan's real problem.
Orbital lymphangioma, an abnormality of small tubes that drain fluid from the eye.
The fluid build-up causes cyst that surround his eyeball triggering severe headaches, nausea,
blurred vision, bleeding and a dangerous drop in heart rate.
Brad Jacobs: The doctor's would go in and 0:00:58.9 and drain it.
And it always fill back up.
Jordan Jacobs: It's just scary.
I mean it's not knowing what going to happen day to day.
Is kind of a, kind of scary.
01:09
Nicole Jacobs: The real danger for Jordan would be that it would lead too quickly and
it would actually push the eyeball completely out of the socket and if that happen then
obviously, he would lose his eye but at that point then bleeding could be out of control.
Announcer: Five surgeries later with no cure.
Jordan's parents consider removing the eye.
Brad Jacobs: We were told in very clear language that this would be something he will live
it forever.
Announcer: Fortunately, their path led them to Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus
and chief of Radiology, Dr. William Shiels.
Nicole Jacobs: And I said, "Hi my son has orbital lymphangioma... and the lady in the
end of the line said "You got the right number....
Dr. William Shiels: So this is blood pushing the eyeball out of it socket, stretching the
optic nerve and causing intense pain.
Announcer: Dr. Shiels and his team had created a new cutting edge cure for kids like Jordan,
never seen before in the world using an interventional radiology tube and a two drug treatment all
developed at Nationwide Children's Hospital.
Dr. William Shiels: We were able to drain the fluid that built up the pressure in his
eye socket.
And then use two different drugs to kill the cyst that actually produce the fluid and then
reduce it and eliminate the cyst from existing essentially kill the cyst.
Announcer: The best part besides curing Jordan, it didn't even require surgery.
Just an out-patient procedure that took an hour.
Dr. William Shiels: We can go into an opening no bigger than the end of a pen.
Go in through the eyelid.
Go in to the eye socket to all of our work and have essentially little to know hospitalization
and no scarring when we're finish.
And a better response with a 100% success.
Announcer: In three days, Jordan was a new teenager.
His 10-year hunt for help, history.
The Jacobs' family now has a life-long bond with the Nationwide Children's expert who
changed everything.
Nicole Jacobs: I just could never have imagine, a more caring, thoughtful, personally involved
doctor who...
I know that he cares about my son.
Brad Jacobs: It was a fragile medically dependent child his whole life.
Announcer: And now.
Nicole Jacobs: Jordan is awesome.
Brad Jacobs: Jordan is back.
Dr. William Shiels: To be able to help children like Jordan in situations that essentially
are hopeless as far as your family is concern is an honor and we're fortunate to be able
to have all the resources and the innovation to be able to provide these children with
a cure for the first time in their life.
Announcer: And for the first time in his life, Jordan can see an open road of possibilities
ahead.
Jordan Jacobs: I feel like I've a lot more to I look forward to in life without the distraction
of the medical problems.
Dr. Shiels, just improved my life drastically.