THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, March 12, 1996 TAG: 9603120259
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARIE JOYCE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
EDITOR'S NOTE: In December, The Virginian-Pilot chronicled the story of Jack Pearce, a man seeking a cure for his epilepsy. He underwent a serious operation that had recently been made available in South Hampton Roads. His goal: to regain his driver's license - and his independence.
The photo on Jack H. Pearce Jr.'s new driver's license shows a man with clear eyes (a little moist, perhaps) and a strong jaw (raised just a bit). A hint of a smile plays on the lips.
Considering everything Pearce went through to get a driver's license again, you'd expect him to wear a face-splitting grin. But no.
``It almost brought tears to my eyes,'' he said.
For Pearce, the license means more than simply having the freedom to get behind the wheel whenever he wants, to go wherever he wants. It symbolizes that, thanks to radical brain surgery, he has finally broken free of the epilepsy that bound him for so long.
Now, every morning, he slides behind the wheel of his Ford Bronco with the Eddie Bauer trim package, the tan seats creaking a bit with the distinctive sound of leather creases rubbing together.
For about a year, he had to content himself with piloting the vehicle a few feet from the driveway into the garage of his Virginia Beach home. Any place else he wanted to go, he had to depend on his wife, Laurie; his dad, Jack Sr.; or a co-worker who lived nearby.
Now, he says, ``I feel like I'm a complete person. . .
``It's just a real good feeling, that I know I'm not going to have any more seizures.''
The epilepsy started in 1976, after he tripped while stepping off a curb and smacked his head on his car. A massive hemorrhage in the closed box of the skull pressed down on brain tissue, destroying it.
After that, renegade electrical impulses sparked in the damaged area and danced across his brain, taking over his body, shaking him like a rag doll for a minute or so and then letting him go.
When he had a seizure, he was supposed to report it to the Department of Motor Vehicles, which usually would take away his license until he went six months without another episode.
Pearce lost his license several times over the years, regaining it when it seemed that a new combination of drugs was controlling his problem.
Then one morning last spring, Jack climbed into his car to visit his doctor. He popped a tape in the tape deck. Next thing he knew, he was lying flat in the hospital, looking up at his father.
He had totaled his car and injured himself. Even worse, he realized, ``I could have hurt somebody. I'm glad I didn't.''
In August, Pearce took a chance. He underwent radical surgery to remove the part of his brain that probably was causing the epilepsy. He hasn't had a seizure since he left the hospital.
Through it all, his one goal was getting permission to drive again.
Some people who go through the surgery have a hard time adjusting to the idea of being seizure-free. They know the surgery fails for one out of every six people. They keep waiting for the ax to fall.
But Pearce has always been an optimist.
``I haven't thought about it since six to eight weeks after the surgery,'' he said.
Technically, he won't be considered cured until he has gone two years after surgery without another seizure. His neurologist, Joseph Hogan, and his surgeon, Jonathan P. Partington, believe Pearce will be one of the successful cases. The chances of a seizure are greatest right after surgery. The longer he goes without one, the better his odds.
He will probably always use a low dose of anti-seizure medicine, just in case.
Besides driving to work, he's taken the Bronco out a few times just for the fun of it.
Now he'll be starting a new project. His stepdaughter, Betty, has her learner's permit. He's teaching her how to drive. ILLUSTRATION: RICHARD L. DUNSTON/The Virginian-Pilot
In August, Jack Pearce underwent surgery to remove the part of his
brain that probably was causing his epilepsy. He's been free of
seizures - and now he's gotten his driver's license back.
KEYWORDS: BRAIN SURGERY by CNB