Prayers Answered

First cousins find relief from tremors close to home.

written by LACIE PIERSON

Tremors were such a part of one family’s past that a pair of cousins were sure they would become a permanent part of their future.

Maureen Breedlove and Lisa Perry grew up in Cabell County, West Virginia, seeing both of their fathers, who were brothers, live with essential tremors that caused uncontrollable shaking in their hands. In adulthood, the women’s life paths took them to different places—Breedlove to work in Virginia as a microbiologist and Perry to Kenova, where she worked at WSAZ-TV. As they reached retirement age, their essential tremors began to appear, and they both knew they wanted to do something about it.

“Mine began all at once,” says Perry, 66. “I was working and noticed something wasn’t quite right. I was shaking. I knew I couldn’t live like that.”

The onset of Breedlove’s tremors was more gradual. “I started experiencing it in very small amounts in 2000,” says Breedlove, 76. “In microbiology, I dealt with holding petri dishes and reading them. I would notice my left hand would sometimes shake. It only bothered me every now and then.” However, once she retired and couldn’t do what she enjoyed, she knew she needed to take action.

Right Place, Right Time for Care

Between 7 million and 10 million people in the United States experience essential tremors, according to the National Institutes of Health. In the ongoing search for a cure, doctors have found a way to relieve patients’ symptoms, and Breedlove and Perry found that relief available in their backyard.

In 2021, they both began seeing neurosurgeon Heather Pinckard-Dover, M.D., and neurologist Paul Ferguson, M.D. Dr. Ferguson, professor and chair of neurology at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, told them about a procedure called deep brain stimulation (DBS) that is commonly used to treat essential tremors and Parkinson’s disease. The procedure involves placement of an electrode or lead into a deep structure of the brain—typically, one on each side. Once they’re implanted, the leads are connected to each other and a generator just below the collar bone, like a pacemaker.

The patient is awake during each procedure, so doctors can monitor their brain activity. While she initially was apprehensive, Perry found great comfort with Dr. Pinckard-Dover, director of stereotactic and functional neurosurgery and assistant professor of neurosurgery at the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine. “I’m so thankful I found her. She’s the kind of doctor who will pray with you before the surgery, and my prayers were answered,” Perry says.

Handled with Care

Once the procedure was complete, Perry and Breedlove visited Dr. Ferguson to calibrate their devices to a level that would alleviate their tremors. Since their respective surgeries throughout 2021 and 2022, they see Dr. Ferguson for regular check-ups to check the batteries in their generators and address any concerns. “We both get the same feeling from him,” Breedlove says. “When I’m in his office, he’s not concerned about anything else. He’s very down-to-earth and willing to answer any questions.”

When talking about their treatments, Perry and Breedlove share how happy they are that the care they needed was so close to home. “I’ve become kind of a proponent for it,” Breedlove says. “Not a lot of people have heard of DBS, and they certainly would think that you have to go to Pittsburgh, Morgantown, or Cleveland to have it done. You don’t have to. You can have it done right here in Huntington.”

To learn more about Marshall Neurosurgery and its services, visit marshallhealth.org/neurosurgery or call 304.691.1787.

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