Doctors Forever Change Man's Life

COLUMBIA, SC (WLTX) - Life will never be the same for one South Carolina man who says doctors have saved his life.

Guy Leblanc has lived with essential tremors since he can remember, and the last few years the shaking has become significantly worse. A few weeks ago we had the chance to meet Guy at his job as a painter. There he showed us ways the tremors seriously affected his life.

"I don't go out in public anymore. I can't even do my job," he said. "I'm tired of all the stares, and people making fun of me, making me feel like a freak."

After searching the internet for another way to attack the problem, Guy found a procedure called Deep Brain Stimulation. The operation's end goal is to basically eliminate tremors from happening at all.

Guy had it done in the spring for the right side of his body, and last week we had the chance to go with him into surgery for the left.

"Anxious, very much anxious. I had this frame put on this morning and I knew it was going to be a good day," said Guy as he was laying in the hospital at MUSC in Charleston.

Upstairs, Dr. Steve Takacs worked to map out the strategic plan for Guy's surgery. "He will be implanted on his right side of the brain for the control of tremors on the left side of his body," said Takacs.

Then came the call Guy had anticipated for months. "Plan is ready, we're bringing him down," said Takacs into the phone.

While Guy slept, doctor's worked meticulously to implant the stimulator. After about an hour, they woke Guy up. "I'm going to have you hold this cup up and bring it to your lips," said one doctor to Guy.

Immediately it was visible the surgery had worked. There was not a single shake in Guy's hand as he held that cup and brought it toward his mouth.

"When they asked me to raise the water, and I could see it wasn't shaking hardly at all, that was the best feeling," said Guy.

He then drew a spiral for doctors. The picture was drastically different from the same one he had drawn before the surgery, which was filled with squiggly out of control lines.

Now it's clear life will never be the same for Guy. Even though he was groggy and in pain from the procedure, he had something important to tell us.

"I just want to let people know there is hope out there. Don't be afraid to talk to your doctor about this," said Guy.

It's a hope that Guy says is giving him new life.

"This basically saved my life, cause I don't know how much longer I would have been able to do this," cried Guy.

Wednesday, doctors will turn on Guy's stimulator permanently for the first time on his left side. That means both hands will be forever tremor free.