NORTH -- Woody Kirby is a changed man. The wad of car keys jangling in his pants pocket confirm his restored independence. The radiant smile on Kirby's face is a testimony to the freedom in his heart. Gone are the seizures and the fear; gone is the stigma associated with epilepsy.

The only trace of uncertainty in his life now, Kirby says, is the question mark-shaped surgical scar that extends from his right ear to his forehead.

"The epileptic seizures have stopped since I had the 'question mark' surgery, and I feel great," Kirby said. "My health has improved to the point that I am now working full-time."

Kirby, a second-generation auto mechanic, operates K&W Auto Salvage near the town of North. For many years, members of the North-Woodford communities have relied on the establishment for routine tire services and oil changes and the occasional unusual assistance, like pulling a bogged-down tractor out of a muddy field.

When Kirby's health began to fail a few years ago, friends and families joined together to help their "brother" during his time of need. Fund-raisers were held to assist the Kirby family financially. People provided transportation to and from doctor's appointments and the hospital. Prayer vigils were held.



"My life today is a big contrast to what it was a few years ago," Kirby explained. "My health began to spiral downward about 10 years ago when I started to have seizures. Although I was given medication, as time passed, the seizures got out of control. Because the seizures were so frequent, I had to give up my driving privileges, and my wife, Kim, stayed at the garage all day to look after me while I tried to worked.



"The physical and psychological toll weakened my body and my spirit."

As Kirby's condition worsened, Dr. Braxton Wannamaker, the local physician who diagnosed Kirby's medical condition as epilepsy, referred Kirby to the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md.

"When I first saw Woody Kirby, we didn't know what was causing his epilepsy," Wannamaker said. "He was struggling, but was a great patient as he underwent the trials of different medications to alleviate the seizures. Eventually, medications weren't enough to control Woody's epilepsy."

It was at the NIH that extensive testing and medical evaluations determined Kirby's condition could possibly be improved by a temporal lobectomy, a type of brain surgery that aims to remove damaged brain tissue in order to prevent seizures.

Statistics from the Brain Research Institute show brain surgery for people suffering from a common form of epilepsy that emanates from the mesial temporal lobe has proven to be effective and safe. For patients whose seizures can't be controlled through medication, an estimated 200,000 may be helped by the surgery. However, less that 3,000 people have the operation each year.

At the NIH, Kirby's medications were gradually eliminated, and a battery of tests, such as EEG monitoring, brain scans and blood tests, identified the area of Kirby's brain where the epileptic seizures originated.

"By the time I arrived at the NIH, my medical condition had progressed to where I experienced a number of seizures each day," Kirby said. "When the surgery option was presented to me, the doctors explained the risks and the benefits."

Those risks, he said, included stroke, death, infection, and nerve and blood vessel damage.

"But a successful operation could eliminate a great percentage of the seizures, or all of the seizures, and improve the quality of my life," Kirby said. "I desperately wanted better health and to be able to return to work and provide for my family. I chose to have the surgery that would remove the seizure focus, or a small area of the brain where the seizures began, and then prayed earnestly for a miracle."

Once the decision to have brain surgery was made, Kirby said he experienced an overwhelming wave of fear. He did not have the option of attending a support group meeting, and no one came to him with a testimonial of success. He needed assurance, and in his most troubled hour, Kirby sought comfort from the Holy Spirit.

"I came to the realization that I needed something that the best medical doctors in the world couldn't give me. I needed Jesus as my personal Savior," he said. "All my life, I had done good things for other people. I tried to be a good husband to my wife and good father to my children. I prided myself on being an honorable citizen and a good son.

"But, I finally understood that I needed to be more than just a good man; I needed to be a Godly man. I prayed to Him for healing for my body and my soul. I prayed for the doctors and nurses at the NIH, and God sent a peaceful calmness to carry me through the surgery."

On May 1, 2006, Woody Kirby was taken to surgery at the NIH. During the operation, an incision resembling a question mark was made from Kirby's forehead to his right ear by his primary surgeon, Dr. John D. Heiss. A small section of brain tissue was removed.

"As I began to recover over the next six weeks, I knew in my heart that brain surgery had been the right decision," Kirby said. "My medications have been greatly reduced, and I no longer have seizures. I feel whole again."

Woody Kirby is thankful for all the assistance he has received along his journey to better health -- from the support of Wannamaker, to the barbecue chicken fund-raiser and the companionship of friends during the trips to Maryland. Kirby says all acts of kindness and concern uplifted him and his family.

It has been more than a year since Kirby returned from the National Institutes of Health. Since undergoing brain surgery, he is seizure free and, once again, passionate about his work and his new life.

"Woody is doing fine since his operation, and he is very happy to be back at work," Kim Kirby said. "He is enjoying life once again. And, Woody doesn't pass up any opportunity to share his 'question mark' surgery success story with others who are living with epilepsy."

For more information about epilepsy and its treatment, visit the Epilepsy Foundation of S.C. Web site at www.epilepsysc.org. or the National Institutes of Health Web site at www.nih.gov.

T&D Features Writer Sonja Gleaton can be reached by e-mail at sgleaton@timesanddemocrat.com or by telephone at 803-533-5540. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

You must be logged in to comment.