The Screening Process

I got home from Minnesota on Thursday evening. I did have a wonderful trip and enjoyed holding that beautiful little grandson of mine. Joey and Angela are wonderful parents and are having fun with the new addition in their lives.

I had so much fun traveling with my granddaughter, Jahara. Her first airplane ride was memorable for both of us. She even got to sit in the captain's seat and look at all of the instruments.

They gave her a certificate and a pair of wings since it was her first flight. There is nothing like looking into a child's eyes and seeing the amazement of discovering the world.

My kids treated me like royalty and would not let me lift a finger unless it was to hold the baby. They both kept commenting on how hard it was for me to just relax. Relaxing has not been part of Chris or my reality in a long time.

Jamie got moved into her new place. She still has a lot of unpacking but I felt much better to see where it was and to know that they will be safe and comfortable. We are sure going to miss them.

Chris, mom, Brandie and Jess got along just fine while I was gone. Five days went pretty fast for all of us. I can't thank Brandie enough for helping Chris during my absence.

While I was in MN, I received a phone call from the Cleveland Clinic saying that they would like us to be there on the 24th of March. I calmly had a heart attack!! How were we going to get organized and book travel in that short of time? It is not easy to travel such a long distance with Jess. And, I also have my mom to worry about, my job and Chris does not have a replacement or anyone to cover at his job until after April 10th. I explained my delemma and I was able to request a little more time. They were incredibly understanding and so we are now looking to go for a screening appointment sometime at the end of April. If he passes the three days filled with physical, neurological and imaging tests, they will accept him as the 4th candidate in the study.

Here is information taken from a great article I found:

"We knew that some patients in MCS (Minimally Conscious State), including our subject (the first candidate), retain functioning brain networks above the brainstem," explains Dr. Schiff, who is also Weill Cornell's Director of the Laboratory for Neuromodulation.

"Activity within these integrated neural networks is supported by cells in an area of the brain called the central thalamus, which is thought to be key to adjusting brain activity as it responds to cognitive demands," he says. "Our theory was that electrical impulses targeted to this area would help amplify the existing low level of activity that we thought was already there," adds Dr. Giacino. "In other words, we assume that the signals that help drive speech and movement are still present in the brain -- we're just 'bumping up' their efficiency and function, to help get them working better."

The DBS (Deep Brain Stimulation) surgery targets deep-brain structures with millimeter-precision using computer-generated maps, image-guided navigation and physiological brain mapping. Tiny electrodes are implanted into these deep-brain structures and connected to programmable pacemaker batteries in the chest. The operation was complicated by the extensive damage to the patient's brain from the traumatic injury. The procedure was performed in two stages and lasted 10 hours. DBS surgery is FDA-approved and routinely performed for patients with Parkinson's disease. Various clinical trials using DBS for the treatment of epilepsy, obsessive- compulsive disorder and depression are also underway.
After an initial "titration" period -- during which the team calibrated the best dose and timing -- the patient began a 6-month, double-blinded on/off "crossover" trial, with periods of DBS alternating with periods where he did not receive the therapy.

"Without further study, we have no means of knowing for sure that the functional improvements we have observed will be seen in other subjects, yet we expect that we will find other patients who will respond," Dr. Schiff says. "We can say that this patient's recovery of oral feeding and communication abilities was strongly linked to the DBS. But even more encouraging is the fact that the patient's functional gains continued even during the off-phase, suggesting a carryover effect from treatment."

Will the DBS-treated patient continue to improve? The researchers say it's still unclear, although the brain's innate plasticity means the man could build on the gains he has already made. This first DBS procedure is part of an FDA-approved pilot study that will include 12 patients in post-traumatic MCS." Here is the link to the article if you are interested: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070817215750.htm#

If they can "jump start" Jess' brain, we truly will finally get our miracle. I will find out more next week and will post information as I get it. With everyones help, we will be able to do this pioneering procedure for Jess. It is a major decision for us to make and we need your prayers and trust that this decision is going to give Jess back some quality of life that he so deserves. Thank you and our love goes out to you all!