{"id":7374,"date":"2017-01-23T15:17:11","date_gmt":"2017-01-23T22:17:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=7374"},"modified":"2020-06-16T12:37:49","modified_gmt":"2020-06-16T18:37:49","slug":"parkinsons-disease-patient-forges-his-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/parkinsons-disease-patient-forges-his-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Parkinson\u2019s disease patient forges his future"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div><p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Parkinson&#039;s disease kept Tino from his passions. Deep Brain Stimulation restored them.\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Aa3k_GRYNgo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The two words describe a powerful, destructive force. For most of us, the lucky ones, they remain an abstraction. For Tino Flores, \u201cParkinson\u2019s disease\u201d and its subversive power are all too real.<\/p>\n<p>Flores, 66, knows Parkinson\u2019s intimately. For 12 years, he\u2019s felt the disease steadily attack his ability to move, his muscle control, and his balance. Sitting on the couch in his Greeley home, he gestures toward the walker sitting nearby.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hate that walker,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I need it.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7380\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7380\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-7380\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144428\/EXT_111016_Metal-Piece-Welder-Photoshop.webp\" alt=\"One of Tino Flores\u0092 metalwork pieces atop the welder in this garage.\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144428\/EXT_111016_Metal-Piece-Welder-Photoshop.webp 1200w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144428\/EXT_111016_Metal-Piece-Welder-Photoshop-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144428\/EXT_111016_Metal-Piece-Welder-Photoshop-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144428\/EXT_111016_Metal-Piece-Welder-Photoshop-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144428\/EXT_111016_Metal-Piece-Welder-Photoshop-150x100.webp 150w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144428\/EXT_111016_Metal-Piece-Welder-Photoshop-200x133.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7380\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">One of Tino Flores\u0092&#8217; metalwork pieces atop the welder in this garage.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>On the coffee table in front of him sit two bottles of pills. The medications help to control the symptoms of Parkinson\u2019s, but they also can have powerful side effects, including grogginess and even hallucinations. Flores says at times he\u2019s had to take more than 10 a day. \u201cYou feel like you\u2019re in a haze,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s also waged a mental battle with Parkinson\u2019s. \u201cI used to have big arms and legs,\u201d Flores said. \u201cI can feel my body shrinking.\u201d The words surprise his visitor, who on this mid-October morning sees a solidly built man. It\u2019s easy to imagine him working in the meat-packing plant in Greeley, as he did before he enlisted in the Air Force National Guard and did basic training at age 33.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI outran 18-year-olds,\u201d he said. Flores went on to serve 25 years as a machinist and welder with the Wyoming Air National Guard in Cheyenne.<\/p>\n<p>Now it\u2019s hard for Flores not to think painfully about what he\u2019s lost physically since his original Parkinson\u2019s diagnosis in 2004 and slow decline leading up to his retirement in 2010.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe disease takes away a lot that you don\u2019t realize until years later,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen you sit and think about that stuff, it can bring you down.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stimulating the future<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"mceTemp\"><\/div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_8022\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8022\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8022 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28140604\/EXT_111016_Tino-Metal-Piece-Photoshop-1.webp\" alt=\"A portrait of Flores with his welding work.\" width=\"300\" height=\"282\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28140604\/EXT_111016_Tino-Metal-Piece-Photoshop-1.webp 1200w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28140604\/EXT_111016_Tino-Metal-Piece-Photoshop-1-300x282.webp 300w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28140604\/EXT_111016_Tino-Metal-Piece-Photoshop-1-1024x961.webp 1024w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28140604\/EXT_111016_Tino-Metal-Piece-Photoshop-1-768x721.webp 768w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28140604\/EXT_111016_Tino-Metal-Piece-Photoshop-1-150x141.webp 150w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28140604\/EXT_111016_Tino-Metal-Piece-Photoshop-1-200x188.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8022\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Flores has gotten back to his welding work thanks to the DBS that controls his tremors.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But Tino Flores has recovered a portion of the life that Parkinson\u2019s robbed, thanks to three words that also are abstractions until you understand their transformative power: deep brain stimulation (DBS). The three words have helped Flores quite literally reshape his future.<\/p>\n<p>Flores has had two DBS procedures at University of Colorado Hospital, both performed by neurosurgeon Aviva Abosch, MD, PhD, director of stereotactic and epilepsy surgery. Abosch implanted electrodes in the regions of the brain that control Flores\u2019 movement and coordination. The electrodes are attached to a computerized neurotransmitter placed under the skin and a connected external programmable unit he wears next to his body. The neurotransmitter delivers electrical pulses at regular intervals to stimulate the targeted areas of the brain, helping to control his tremors and other symptoms.<\/p>\n<p>The decision to have DBS is hardly an easy one. The procedure involves immobilizing the skull in a large cage for an MRI of the brain. The surgical team then drills holes in the skull, through which they thread and place the electrodes, working closely with a neurologist to pinpoint the most effective spots for stimulation. All the while the patient is sedated but awake and able to describe what he\u2019s feeling and respond to movement requests.<\/p>\n<p>Flores said Abosch didn\u2019t mince words in describing the surgery and its potential benefits, as well as the risks. \u201cShe said I could die or that I might be crippled, and that there would be pain,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was all up to me.\u201d Flores thought of his steady physical deterioration that had made hiking, cycling, dancing and welding harder and harder to do. He opted for DBS.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was tired of living that way,\u201d he said simply.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Freedom regained<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>He had his first surgery in February 2014 on the right side of his brain. As Abosch had promised, there was plenty of pain \u2013 \u201cI felt like someone had a foot on my head and was pulling threads to keep it tight,\u201d he remembered. But after having the unit programmed, Flores was able to cut the number of meds he took in half and slowly began increasing his exercise, including walking and riding his bike.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7382\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7382\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-7382\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144426\/EXT_111016_Tino-and-Bike-Photoshop.webp\" alt=\"The bike in Flores\u0092 garage is rolling again, thanks to DBS.\" width=\"300\" height=\"241\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144426\/EXT_111016_Tino-and-Bike-Photoshop.webp 1200w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144426\/EXT_111016_Tino-and-Bike-Photoshop-300x241.webp 300w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144426\/EXT_111016_Tino-and-Bike-Photoshop-1024x821.webp 1024w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144426\/EXT_111016_Tino-and-Bike-Photoshop-768x616.webp 768w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144426\/EXT_111016_Tino-and-Bike-Photoshop-150x120.webp 150w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144426\/EXT_111016_Tino-and-Bike-Photoshop-200x160.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7382\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The bike in Flores\u0092&#8217; garage is rolling again, thanks to DBS.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI got some freedom back right away,\u201d he said. He later had a second DBS procedure on the left side, which helped to address cramping he said he experienced in his right toe and leg. \u201cThat one was a piece of cake,\u201d Flores said.<\/p>\n<p>Abosch said that DBS is able to \u201cstop the Parkinson\u2019s-related tremors in a way that medications can\u2019t.\u201d Patients must continue to take medications, but in decreasing the number, they also reduce the disabling side effects of the drugs, she said. They also must make regular clinic visits to fine-tune the unit\u2019s programming and the patterns of electrical signals delivered to the brain.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe try to find a \u2018sweet spot,\u2019 a balance between the meds the patient takes and the stimulation the brain receives,\u201d Abosch said.<\/p>\n<p>For Flores, the benefits of all this go well beyond the clinical. \u201cHe\u2019s able to get out and around,\u201d she added. \u201cThat means getting his life and his identity back.\u201d That, in turn, helps to stave off depression, a frequent problem for Parkinson\u2019s patients, Abosch added.<\/p>\n<p>One sees important pieces of Flores\u2019 identity in framed portraits of his grandchildren. \u201cThe Parkinson\u2019s took time away from playing with them,\u201d Flores said. \u201cWhen I think about them and my kids, it makes it worth it to keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Shaping his destiny <\/strong><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7383\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7383\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-7383\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144426\/EXT_111016_Bison-Photoshop.webp\" alt=\"Bison and a Native American are two subjects of Flores\u0092 artwork.\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144426\/EXT_111016_Bison-Photoshop.webp 1200w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144426\/EXT_111016_Bison-Photoshop-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144426\/EXT_111016_Bison-Photoshop-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144426\/EXT_111016_Bison-Photoshop-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144426\/EXT_111016_Bison-Photoshop-150x100.webp 150w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144426\/EXT_111016_Bison-Photoshop-200x133.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7383\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bison and a Native American (right)\u00a0are two subjects of Flores&#8217;\u0092 artwork.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The DBS procedures have also helped him direct his energy to creating striking works of art he forges from scrap metal with the welding tools and machinery he keeps in his garage. He uses discarded pieces of aluminum and bronze, tiny pistons from weed whackers, and other seemingly nondescript cast-offs as his materials. He fires, cuts and burnishes, summoning beauty from what was base.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-7384 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144425\/EXT_111016_Headdress-Photoshop.webp\" alt=\"A patient's art includes Native American themes like this headdress.\" width=\"300\" height=\"284\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144425\/EXT_111016_Headdress-Photoshop.webp 1200w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144425\/EXT_111016_Headdress-Photoshop-300x284.webp 300w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144425\/EXT_111016_Headdress-Photoshop-1024x969.webp 1024w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144425\/EXT_111016_Headdress-Photoshop-768x727.webp 768w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144425\/EXT_111016_Headdress-Photoshop-150x142.webp 150w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144425\/EXT_111016_Headdress-Photoshop-200x189.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>He walks steadily from the garage back into the house, without the walker, pointing to some of the results of his craft: a pair of bison figures fused to the stem of a lamp; a large circular metal wall piece inset with the countenance of a Native American in headdress; an intricately cut tree with clouds of metal leaf clusters supported by a powerful trunk. Cut into the trunk, fittingly, is a tiny \u201cT,\u201d his artistic signature.<\/p>\n<p>Without the DBS, his trembling hands wouldn\u2019t have allowed him to produce this work. Nor would he have been able to use the bike that hangs from the ceiling of the garage. Now he can pedal again on short trips, regaining a longtime pleasure he\u2019d lost to disease.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7385\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7385\" style=\"width: 287px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-7385\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144425\/EXT_111016_Tree-Photoshop.webp\" alt=\"Intricately detailed metal tree reflects Flores\u0092 attention to detail.\" width=\"287\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144425\/EXT_111016_Tree-Photoshop.webp 1200w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144425\/EXT_111016_Tree-Photoshop-287x300.webp 287w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144425\/EXT_111016_Tree-Photoshop-978x1024.webp 978w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144425\/EXT_111016_Tree-Photoshop-768x804.webp 768w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144425\/EXT_111016_Tree-Photoshop-143x150.webp 143w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28144425\/EXT_111016_Tree-Photoshop-200x209.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 287px) 100vw, 287px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7385\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Intricately detailed metal tree reflects Flores&#8217;\u0092 attention to detail.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As Abosch points out, DBS is not a cure for Parkinson\u2019s, and Flores knows he will battle it the rest of his life. As he sat on the couch talking he occasionally struggled with discomfort in his left leg. He must plan his day around windows of reprieve from symptoms granted by the DBS and the meds working in harmony. Periods of sleeplessness are a regular and unwelcome companion.<\/p>\n<p>Short of a cure, there are improvements in clinicians\u2019 ability to manage Parkinson\u2019s on the horizon, Abosch said. For example, devices that monitor a patient\u2019s brain and neurologic activity and store the information on cloud servers are now in development, she said. With this technology, providers could keep a much closer eye on DBS patients\u2019 programming and make remote adjustments rather than bringing them into the clinic when their symptoms worsen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re getting closer on that,\u201d Abosch said. \u201cThat\u2019s the next big advance in Parkinson\u2019s disease.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For Tino Flores, the most important advances occur during the hours of relief from disease that Abosch and DBS have given him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI feel like now I have the freedom to do what I want,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m going to continue with a normal life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Click <\/em><em>here<\/em><em> for a video portrait from UCHealth of Tino Flores\u2019s battle with Parkinson\u2019s.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The two words describe a powerful, destructive force. For most of us, the lucky ones, they remain an abstraction. For Tino Flores, \u201cParkinson\u2019s disease\u201d and its subversive power are all too real. Flores, 66, knows Parkinson\u2019s intimately. For 12 years, he\u2019s felt the disease steadily attack his ability to move, his muscle control, and his [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2143,"featured_media":8022,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[563,184,750,263],"class_list":["post-7374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-deep-brain-stimulation","tag-neurology","tag-parkinsons-disease","tag-university-of-colorado-hospital"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Parkinson\u2019s disease patient forges his future - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The two words describe a powerful, destructive force. For most of us, the lucky ones, they remain an abstraction. For Tino Flores, \u201cParkinson\u2019s disease\u201d and its subversive power are all too real. Flores, 66, knows Parkinson\u2019s intimately. For 12 years, he\u2019s felt the dise...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/parkinsons-disease-patient-forges-his-future\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Parkinson\u2019s disease patient forges his future\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The two words describe a powerful, destructive force. For most of us, the lucky ones, they remain an abstraction. For Tino Flores, \u201cParkinson\u2019s disease\u201d and its subversive power are all too real. Flores, 66, knows Parkinson\u2019s intimately. For 12 years, he\u2019s felt the disease steadily attack his ability to move, his muscle control, and his [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/parkinsons-disease-patient-forges-his-future\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UCHealth Today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-01-23T22:17:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-06-16T18:37:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2017\/01\/28140604\/EXT_111016_Tino-Metal-Piece-Photoshop-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Tyler Smith\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Tyler Smith\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/parkinsons-disease-patient-forges-his-future\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/parkinsons-disease-patient-forges-his-future\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Tyler Smith\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/98c85c0e40c4933eedcec2cd054f349d\"},\"headline\":\"Parkinson\u2019s disease patient forges his future\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-01-23T22:17:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-06-16T18:37:49+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/parkinsons-disease-patient-forges-his-future\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1411,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/parkinsons-disease-patient-forges-his-future\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2017\\\/01\\\/28140604\\\/EXT_111016_Tino-Metal-Piece-Photoshop-1.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Deep brain stimulation\",\"Neurology\",\"Parkinson\u2019s disease\",\"University of Colorado Hospital\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Stories\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/parkinsons-disease-patient-forges-his-future\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/parkinsons-disease-patient-forges-his-future\\\/\",\"name\":\"Parkinson\u2019s disease patient forges his future - 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