Epilepsy controlled the life of Paula Degraw's life since the age of 19. She was afraid to go out in public without the company of her husband and son just in case she would have a seizure. She was unable to work and would have 70 seizures a month. She could not contribute to her family and felt no self worth.
This all changed when she got the NeuroPace RNS system. According to the website, it is like a pacemaker but for the brain. Creator Frank Fischer says "It is FDA approved and it's a unique system. It monitors seizures 24 hours a day." The device kicks in when unusual activity is detected and fights the source of the seizure. The device also records data for the physicians to review any time they need. "Thirty percent of the patients had 90 percent or greater reduction in seizure frequency" said Fischer.
The device itself was developed and manufactured in Silicon Valley. They say that in addition to treating epilepsy, responsive neurotransmission could possible treat several other medical disorders that disable and impact the quality of life for millions of people around the world.
Paula only gets a small amount of seizures a month and the seizures themselves are far less debilitating. She is no longer letting epilepsy define who she is.
Article source: cbs4indy
