KATHY: WRITING A NOTE, BUTTONING
CUP.
THEY'RE SIMPLE ACTIONS THAT HAVE
BECOME NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR A
SACRAMENTO ARTIST AND POET AFTER
SHE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH ESSENTIAL
TREMOR.
THE DISORDER CAUSES
UNCONTROLLABLE SHAKING AND THERE
IS NO CURE.
BRIAN: BUT AS KCRA 3'S TONI
PROCEDURE IS OFFERING HOPE TO
PATIENTS AND BEING CALLED A GAME
CHANGER BY DOCTORS WHO'VE
WITNESSED THE RESULTS.
>> OUR LIVING ROOM, RIGHT NEXT
GOES IN HERE.
REPORTER: FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS
EVERYTHING IN A JOURNAL.
GARDEN.
>> THIS IS YOUR LIFE.
>> IT'S YOUR LIFE, YES.
MOMENT.
REPORTER: AT THIS MOMENT,
CONNOR, WHO ONCE HEADED A POET
TO FILL THE PAGES.
>> I CAN DO IT, EASY.
-- I CAN'T TO DO IT, YOU SEE.
WHEN SHE DEVELOPED ESSENTIAL
HER FAMILY.
>> THIS IS A NEUROLOGICAL
TREMORS.
WHEN PATIENTS USE THEIR HANDS,
THEY LOSE CONTROL.
REPORTER: WHICH MAKES EVEN THE
CHALLENGE.
>> DROPPING MY FOOD, NOT BEING
ABLE TO HOLD A CUP, CAN PUT ON
EARRINGS, CAN'T GET A KEY IN THE
SLOT, CAN'T CHOP ONIONS, KENTA
CHOP.
CAN'T CHOP.
A MILLION THINGS WE ALL TAKE FOR
GRANTED.
>> I CUT HER MEAT AND SOMETIMES
EVEN OTHER FOOD.
I TAKE ON A LOT MORE OF THE
TASKS, LIKE WASHING DISHES.
>> PEOPLE SEE THEM SHAKE, THEY
ASSUME IT IS PARKINSON'S.
>> PARKINSON'S IS NOT AS COMMON
AS ESSENTIAL TREMOR.
IT IS MUCH LESS COMMON.
REPORTER: BUT LIKE PARKINSON'S,
TREMOR.
>> BUT I WAS ALSO TOLD, WE HAVE
TRY.
AND THEY CAN HELP.
AND I GUESS THEY DO HELP SOME
PEOPLE, I'VE YET TO MEET ONE.
REPORTER: LEAVING HER WITH
LITTLE HOPE, UNTIL NOW.
>> WHEN THE PATIENT LAYS DOWN
COMFORTABLY HERE, WITH THEIR
HEAD FIXED IN THE ULTRASONIC
DEVICE, USING A PEN I AM ABLE TO
DIRECT THE RADIOLOGIST AND
DELIVER THE THERAPY.
ULTRASOUND.
ONE NEUROSURGEON OVERSAW
STANFORD'S YEAR-LONG CLINICAL
TRIAL, USING THE TREATMENT ON
NEARLY 20 PATIENTS.
>> WE WERE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE
THAT WITHOUT MAKING AN INCISION,
FOCUSED ULTRASOUND WAS ABLE TO
INDUCE A SMALL LESION IN THE
BRAIN THAT WOULD LOWER TREMORS
SIGNIFICANTLY.
>> IT'S A LITTLE MAGIC INSIDE
THE MR SCANNER, SOMEONE WHO A
FEW MINUTES BEFORE COULDN'T USE
A CUP, COULDN'T WRITE LEGIBLY,
SHAKING, THEY ARE ABLE TO DO
THINGS THEY COULDN'T.
>> I WATCHED THIS LITTLE VIDEO
ONLINE, AND I SAID TO MYSELF, I
NN
I NEED TO DO.
WAS JUST RECENTLY APPROVED BY
THE FDA, IT IS NOT YET COVERED
BY INSURANCE OR MEDICARE.
BUT THANKS TO DONATIONS FROM
FRIENDS AND THE COMMUNITY,
OUTPATIENT PROCEDURE THIS WEEK.
>> BY LATE AFTERNOON THE PATIENT
SHOULD BE ABLE TO LEAVE THE
HOSPITAL, AND THEIR TREMORS
SHOULD BE, IF NOT 100% GONE,
MORE FUNCTIONAL.
REPORTER: FOR CONNOR, THAT COULD
MEAN FILLING PAGES WITH THESE.
>> I CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT LIFE
WOULD BE WITHOUT MAKING.
IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER WHAT I
AM MAKING, BUT I HAVE TO BE
MAKING IN ORDER TO FEEL REALLY
ALIVE.
REPORTER: TONI VALLIERE, KCRA 3
NEWS.
BRIAN: STANFORD PERFORMED ITS
FIRST FOCUSED ULTRA-SOUND LAST
MONTH AND DOCTORS SAY IT
DRAMATICALLY IMPROVED TREMOR
CONTROL FOR THE PATIENT.
THE PROCEDURE CAN ONLY BE USED
TO TREAT ONE SIDE OF THE BRAIN
AT A TIME SO IMPROVEMENT IS ONLY
MADE ON ONE SIDE OF THE BODY.
LIMITATIONS OF THE TREATMENT AND