It has been two years since our son Jesse, received experimental surgery to implant a deep brain stimulator into his brain in hopes of stopping the devastating vocal and motor tics he suffered from Tourette Syndrome. We adopted Jesse when he was five years old and three years later he developed a debilitating case of Tourette Syndrome. At seventeen, his body was completely breaking down and we were losing hope.
In desperation, on December 14, 2009, my husband Jake and I bought three one way tickets and flew with Jesse to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, not knowing whether we would find help there. God heard the prayers of many of you and amazingly, seemingly impossible doors opened up bringing Matthew 21:21-22 to life for our family.
Two months later we were living at the Ronald McDonald House while Jesse received cutting edge Pharmacogenomic testing, which helped doctors determine that Jesse needed only 8 mg of 2 medications, instead of over 2200 mg of 6 medications. During the past 10 years over 40 different medications had been tried, causing Jesse terrible side effects as well as numbing his brain and personality. This new FDA approved test, determined that 3 of the medications he was taking, did not match him genetically and in fact were poisoning him.
On February 10, 2010, Jesse had Deep Brain Stimulation surgery to implant electrodes into his brain. In this experimental surgery for Tourette's, the lead wires were placed in a completely new, never tried area of the brain. God performed a modern day miracle and our son has been essentially tic free for over two years! He has been truly "resurrected" and his mind has come back to life! Jesse's tic reduction is unprecedented. I am working on a book to tell our story, in the hope that it will help others find solutions.
On this Easter Sunday, we will be back in Rochester advocating for another Tourette's patient from Montana. Time to pay it forward! We are very grateful for the amazing support we've received from so many of you and appreciate your continued prayers as we continue our own journey and try to help others with theirs.
Nancy Jensen, Missoula Montana