My husband, Darren was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson's disease 8 1/2 years ago, at age 41. With medication, he was able to continue his normal life for several years. Recently, he's become dependent on the care of others, the medication only allowing freedom of movement for an hour or two at a time. His neurologist has tried a variety of therapies, but thinks the deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery is his best hope for independence and freedom of movement.




The surgery requires consultations and testing for several months prior to the surgery itself. At present, we live in the Fresno area and Darren's team of doctors is at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento (approximately 150 miles away).




At this time, we anticipate 8-10 trips to Sacramento in the coming months, which will include consults with the neurosurgeon, neuro-physiologist, neuro-psychologist, radiologist and nurse practitioner.




As Darren's primary caregiver, it makes it difficult to maintain full-time employment. His family helps when they can. Our son Cameron, sacrifices a lot of sleep to help out, too.




Any contributions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for your assistance.