History is being made right here in Cleveland, with a first-of-its-kind stroke treatment.
In December of last year, a device was implanted into a stroke victim's brain at Cleveland Clinic. News 5 was the only TV station there in April when it was officially turned on.
Today, Judy Slater is not only making remarkable progress, she is also helping to pave the way for future stroke victims.
“It was scary and you wondered if you'd ever get better again,” recalled Slater.
Two years ago on Memorial Day weekend, Slater was with her grandkids at her home in Pulaski, Pennsylvania when she took a fall. It turns out she had suffered a stroke.
“I couldn't get my own food,” she explained. “I couldn't do anything. I couldn't get dressed. I couldn't bathe myself. I had to learn how to walk. I had to re-learn how to do everything again.”
They are simple, everyday tasks most of us take for granted. During the course of her physical therapy, which is standard treatment for stroke, Slater was asked if she would be interested in something a little more revolutionary.
“What we have been trying to find are treatments that can boost the effects of therapy, that can take therapy results to a new level,” explained Dr. Andre Machado, who has been treating Slater.
That is the idea behind Deep Brain Stimulation. Think of it as a pacemaker, but for the brain.
“Deep Brain Stimulation has a battery that goes under the skin of the chest, but the wire is really connected to the brain, so that we can use small electrical pulses to control a little bit of the brain activity,” Dr. Machado explained.
It is something that is done all the time to treat Parkinson's, so doctor’s thought -- why not stroke?
But the question Slater had to ask herself -- would she say yes to being the first patient in the world to try it?
“I didn't really have anything to lose,” Slater said. “I couldn't move anyway. Take the chance.”
In the time since News 5 first met Slater in April when her device was turned on, she has continued to reach milestones.
“Last year at this time, I couldn't even move,” she noted.
But the process hasn't been easy. Even with the device, Slater still has to put in a lot of work. She travels to and from Cleveland twice a week for physical therapy, and does exercises on her own every day.
“Some days you wake up and you don't feel like doing anything but you've got to do it, every day,” said Slater.
And it's paying off.
“My arm was all curled up,” she said. “My fingers were curled up and you walked around like this all the time. You haven't moved for two years and you think oh.. then you look at your fingers now.”
Even her doctors say Slater’s progress is beyond their expectations, which is encouraging for future patients.
“We want to promise hope,” said Dr. Machado. “I think what this tells us is it is possible.”
A second patient recently went through the same surgery and is also doing well. Cleveland Clinic is still working with the FDA to enroll additional patients.
Doctor Machado said what is most encouraging about Slater’s progress is not only how far she has come, it is that she is still continuing to get better. They initially thought she would have improved as much as she could within four months. She proved them wrong.
