The red tulip, an expressive symbol of the Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Campaign, is sprouting beautifully in the rich and fertile medical field at Mater Dei Hospital.

The success rate and good clinical evidence experienced at the Neuro-Surgical Department augurs well for Parkinson’s patients who are being offered surgery, presenting a better quality of life to sufferers of this dreaded degenerative disorder of the central nervous system.

I write as a layman completely without any medical background who has witnessed a very close friend suffering from the classic symptoms of Parkinson’s for 10 years. The symptoms included uncontrollable tremors, rigidity, slowness of movement, loss of self-confidence as well as a slur in her speech.

Initially, she used to struggle defiantly in order to cope using medication but this then became ineffective for controlling her acute suffering. A few weeks ago, after a series of neurological and clinical tests at Mater Dei, she underwent deep brain surgery (known as DBS), a procedure that involves the stimulation of the surrounding tissues. This 10-hour long operation gives the patient a better control of the nervous system.

Undoubtedly, the recovery has exceeded all expectations, making a huge difference in her quality of life.

The neurological team deserves all the accolades and appreciation of the whole nation for contributing to further enhance the prestige of the Maltese medical services.

 

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