JohnElliottCare
John Elliott was a builder who enjoyed meeting with clients and planning their future homes. But the effects of Parkinson’s disease made it hard for him to meet with clients and live his life. Then he found a new sense of hope thanks to the Wellstar Parkinson’s and Tremors Program and a procedure called deep brain stimulation (DBS). His experience is a powerful testament to the value of comprehensive care and how his neurologists, functional neurosurgeon and nurse navigator helped him rebuild his life.
Symptoms that were hard to shake
John has been building custom homes in Marietta for 45 years—a career defined by personal relationships with his clients. He loves spending time with his family, hunting, fishing and bushhogging the multi-generational family farm.
But in 2015, John’s hands began to shake. A former client and friend who was a retired neurologist recommended he see Dr. Thomas Holmes, a Wellstar neurologist.
A DaTscan, a type of nuclear imaging test that takes images of the brain, helped Dr. Holmes see a loss in John’s dopamine-producing neurons, which indicates Parkinson’s disease. The progressive neurological disorder affects a person’s motor functions and movements.
At first, medication helped. But years after his diagnosis, John’s medications were barely effective.
“A big part of custom home building is your interaction with your client,” John said. “Meeting with the customer became somewhat of a problem.”
His tremors and involuntary mouth movements left him feeling embarrassed.
“I kind of went into a shell and didn't want to see people because they would make comments, particularly about the mouth movement,” he said. “You want to hide.”
