Parkinson's Patients' Connection Grows as Deep Brain Stimulation Delivers Life-Changing Results

Sometimes the best friends turn out to be the ones you haven't met yet.

Ivonne Gonzalez was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2022, but it wasn't until last April its symptoms completely took over her life. Unable to stand or walk without assistance, the Miami resident's speech became slurred and her handwriting unreadable. When she lost the ability to play with her preschool-age grandchildren, it was like rubbing salt in Gonzalez's already open wound.

It was about that time Gonzalez became aware of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), a surgery performed by Memorial Healthcare System that can deliver life-changing results for those with Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders. During the procedure, the surgeon implants electrodes in the parts of the brain where symptoms (tremors, stiffness/slowness, memory loss, etc.) are known to originate. While there can be some positive results from just the insertion alone, the real relief comes in the time following surgery when a small battery implanted under the skin and connected to the electrodes is activated, delivering electrical stimulation that minimizes the effect of abnormal brain activity and chemical imbalances that are inherent to movement disorders.

While Gonzalez was intrigued by the potential of DBS, she was still hesitant. "The idea of someone operating on my brain was frightening, and I didn't want them to shave my head," she said.

That's when Gonzalez got a call from Milay Echemendia, who was aware her former co-worker was struggling with Parkinson's, the same disease her husband, Ozzie Echemendia, had been diagnosed with years before. Echemendia had recently had DBS performed by Christopher DeMassi, MD, a neurosurgeon and chief of the Memorial Neuroscience Institute, with the procedure putting a stop to the tremors, instability, and returning full volume to his voice.

Without ever having met his wife's friend, Echemendia took on the role of confidante, sharing before and after videos that showed the remarkable impact of DBS and urging Gonzalez to trust the minimally invasive approach of Memorial's neurosurgeons.

"We're one of the very few centers that perform DBS robotically and while the patient is asleep," said Dr. DeMassi. "They feel no pain during the surgery, which can be completed in under an hour, and the outcomes have been outstanding."

That's in stark contrast to traditional DBS surgery, which many facilities still perform, where a metal frame is screwed into the skull and the patient is awake during a procedure that can take up to 10 hours to complete. At Memorial, the robot-assisted surgery ensures more accurate electrode placement in areas where being even one millimeter off, or the size of a sharp pencil's point, can impact a person's functionality and whether the surgery is a success.

Gonzalez had her surgery in late December, and the relief was immediate. The battery was activated/calibrated a few weeks later, and her improvement has been steady. She no longer needs a walker, the stiffness in her joints has lessened considerably, and the volume of her voice has returned. Her son noticed immediately that her face was once again the expressive one he remembered.

"Parkinson's can pull you down, but people need to understand they have to continue to fight and not settle for less treatment than they deserve," said Gonzalez, who now encourages others the way Echemendia did her. "It's my duty to tell people to try and not let fear keep them from what can be life-changing results."

Gonzalez's clinical outcomes have brought her back to living the life she once had, with one significant improvement. There's now an unbreakable bond with Ozzie, one that didn't even require any head shaving.