Bruce's story

Minnesota man among the first in the U.S. to receive a new Percept™ RC rechargeable neurostimulator  

For 81-year-old Bruce Lunde, singing in his church choir, playing tennis, and cutting firewood are some of his favorite activities.  

“I play tennis and when I'm waiting for someone to serve the ball, my hand is shaking.” 

A few years ago, he started experiencing a tremor in his right hand and a wiggle in his right leg.  

” When I'm in a conversation with someone, I don't want them looking at my tremors instead of listening to what I'm saying. The tremors were affecting other parts of my life too. When I was singing in the church choir, it got to the point where I had trouble holding the sheet music. That bothered me.” 

Bruce was diagnosed with the early-stage Parkinson’s disease, a chronic degenerative disorder of the central nervous system typically characterized with tremors, slowness of movement and stiffness.  

 “After I was diagnosed, my doctors recommended medication to help with the tremors,” Bruce explains. “But at that time, I felt I was coping alright. A few months later, we were about to leave on a trip to Norway and I decided to start the medication.”  

Bruce took medication post-diagnosis and felt his symptoms weren’t improving. That’s when he began researching other treatment options for Parkinson’s disease. 

“I found an article about how deep brain stimulation (DBS) is now being used not just for serious cases but for earlier-stage, less advanced cases like mine. I knew that DBS had been successful for patients with more advanced Parkinson’s than I have, so I figured maybe it would work for me too.” 

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) uses a surgically implanted medical device, similar to a cardiac pacemaker, to transmit electrical signals via slender wires to specific brain targets affected by debilitating neurological disorders like Parkinson's disease.   

Medtronic DBS therapy is available in both a recharge and recharge-free option. Bruce was among the first in the United States to receive the recently FDA approved Medtronic Percept™ RC neurostimulator with BrainSense™ technology. Percept™ is the only DBS therapy available with sensing^† technology that captures and records brain signals allowing physicians to use the insights and personalize a patient’s therapy.  

Thanks to DBS, Bruce’s Parkinson’s symptoms are now under control and he’s back to doing the things he loves.