I first noticed my tremors
when I was nine years old.
I had a piano solo and it became very difficult
to play because I started shaking and everyone
just chalked it up to, I was just nervous.
But then I began to notice when I would take exams,
I would have trouble writing.
And this progressed through the years and became very bad
the last, I want to say 10 years, to the point
I could no longer write my name.
So I was diagnosed with an essential tremor
and it was at the beginning controlled with medication
but essential tremors progress and it continually got worse
and we kept trying to up the medications
and until the point I couldn't up them any further.
I met Virginia for the first time
when she came to get an evaluation for her tremors.
She apparently had an almost a lifelong battle
with what we call a essential tremor, which is a fancy way
of describing tremors that do not necessarily have a cause.
I have been an executive assistant in the C-suite
for many years, and it became quite challenging
because of the fact I could not write
and I was having difficulty typing.
I couldn't take messages,
I was on a new job and I felt that they were being
very kind in giving, they gave me everything I needed
to do my job.
That part, I was very thankful, but I wanted to do better.
You know, we knew that there was no other option.
And as a result, we talked to her about a new technology
that was available that could help with her tremors.
MRI Guided Focused Ultrasound is a relatively new technology
that uses the energy of ultrasound
and through penetrating the skin and skull
without any kind of opening, so there is no incision
and there's no anesthesia involved.
This is done while the patient lays inside the MRI machine
and we run the MRI machine live, so we can continuously
see that specific area of the brain.
And as a neurosurgeon, I can direct where in the brain
to focus ultrasound energy can be targeted or directed
and in particular for essential tremor,
we go after the tremor network.
Learned about the program from my neurologist
at another hospital.
She knew how much it meant to me to have this procedure,
we had been watching it together for years
waiting for it to come to the Chicagoland area.
And as soon as it did, I'll never forget the phone call,
in June, where she called me up and said,
"Virginia, guess what?
It's here."
Patient comes in, gets the treatment
and literally gets up and leaves.
There's minimal to no recovery period
from a surgical standpoint needed.
I decided to have the procedure because I saw my future
and I wondered, how am I going to take care of myself?
How am I going to eat?
How am I going to drink?
I looked into the special equipment and physical therapy
that you can do, but I knew how bad my tremor was
and I knew none of that would help with as bad as
my tremor was.
Under a year ago, we treated our first patient
in March of 2020 and we are currently the only center
in the surrounding states and region
that offers this treatment for patients.
To have had very good results
and I'm proud to say we have 40 plus patients
who are very, very happy with their outcome.
And they were shaving my head.
I was told I had movie star quality, perfectly round head.
So that put me at ease right there,
I thought this is going to be okay.
And it is such a big part of everyone's identity
particularly female patients.
With that said, consider the six months it takes
for the hair to grow back and weigh that against
the years and years of benefit.
We don't fully understand the exact mechanism
that causes essential tremor.
However, we do know that there is a certain area
of the brain that is overacting.
It's really running, revving at a higher voltage
than it needs to be, and it causes tremors.
And so we have known for decades that if this area
is shut down, ablated or lesioned, tremor subside.
It doesn't seem to affect cognition, memory, personality,
emotions, language, vision, so all the other
essential functions are somewhere else.
Within a week, I was back at work.
I am a runner, so I was very concerned
about how long will it be till I'm back physically active.
By the end of the week, I had to procedure on a Tuesday,
by Friday I was at walking three miles
and I found that to be amazing.
My husband will say to me, "let's see the hand,"
and I do this.
Sorry, makes me a little emotional.
And then he'll say, "Was it worth it?"
I answer yes, it's worth it.
One of the things that sets Rush apart
and is also my personal philosophy is,
we treat patients like they're member of our own family.
So somebody comes in, the question that goes
through my head is, if this person was my brother
or sister or parent, what would I do?
The care I received here was phenomenal.
From my very first appointment
to meeting Dr. Sani, the team that was there
for my procedure, they were there the entire time.
They held my hand while my head was shaved.
They kept my husband informed who was sitting
in the waiting room.
He said he was having updates every couple of minutes.
And then they pull you out and they hold a piece
of paper in front of you and they say, sign your name.
And I did, and it was perfect.
I had shortened my signature
to Viv Lez because I could no longer write Virginia.
But believe me this time,
Virginia Velez is the way I sign.
Then it was over, and it was just amazing
that they could do something so drastically
that changes your life so drastically
and you get up and walk out.