KUSA - Deep brain stimulation is known for helping people with Parkinson's Disease. It is also being studied as a treatment for epilepsy, headaches, Tourette syndrome, and major depression.
That's why Greg Gerhard and his wife Elizabeth wanted to share their journey through deep brain stimulation for his Parkinson's tremors. They felt if they let us in the operating room during Greg's brain surgery, the awareness could help others in the future.
Greg and his wife Elizabeth have been married for 34-years. They raised two sons and had a car dealership.
Life was perfect until one day, Greg felt a twitch in his pinky finger.
Seven years ago, a neurologist confirmed their greatest fear.
"When the physician tells you your husband has Parkinson's, it hits you in the face. I was crying," Elizabeth said.
Hearing those words changed everything. They sold their dealership and retired to Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
But over time, the tremors got worse. That's when they decided to temporarily move to Denver, so Greg could have brain surgery.
Gerhard had deep brain stimulation surgery at the University of Colorado Hospital. He was awake and talking while neurosurgeons implanted a microchip in his brain.
Storytellers Vida Urbonas and Matt Bell followed Greg and his wife through their journey.
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