Help Peter live a normal life with a VNS implant
Peter is currently under 24-hour seizure watch and the implant could improve his quality of life immensely.
PETER Olivier (22), a gentle giant living in Alberton North, has been plagued by epilepsy his whole life.
His form of epilepsy is drug resistant, and thus medicine given to treat his condition stops working after a few weeks. The dosages of the drugs he has to take keep increasing, bringing with them severe side effects, which includes depression, severe fatigue and damage to his organs.
A turn for the worse
Peter has been able to keep his seizures under control for the last four years by sticking to a ketogenic diet. He has been studying engineering when things took a turn for the worse. Unfortunately for the last three months his seizures have returned and gotten worse, all leading to him being declared status epilepticus two weeks ago.
Over the last while, there have also been ICU admissions and injuries. He is currently on 24-hour seizure watch. His studies had to be put on hold due to his seizures.
Peter’s mother, Adrienne Olivier described the difficulty of Peter’s condition to the RECORD.
“Living with Peter’s epilepsy is hard. He is unable to do the things other people can do like bathing himself and going to the bathroom by himself. In Grade 10 Peter went from being an A-student to failing due to his condition.”
Adrienne described the problems Peter has with other people excluding him because of the effect of his seizures.
“Epilepsy is depriving him of his humanity,” said Adrienne.
There is hope, but …
A ray of hope was extended to Peter when his neurologist assessed and confirmed Peter for a Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) implant.
A VNS implant sends a signal along the vagus nerve to prevent seizures. It is sometimes likened to a pacemaker for the brain.
Peter requires a second-generation implant as the first generation requires the person to be aware of the seizures happening and Peter is not. The procedure is non-invasive to the brain, making it preferable to traditional operation on the brain as Pete’rs condition has moved to both lobes.
Peter’s family medical aid only covers the first generation implant and not the second. The medical aid will only start covering the procedure after 100 successful procedures and according to the Olivier family, Peter will only be the fifth in South Africa.
The cost of the lifesaving procedure is R100 000, an amount the Olivier family are unable to cover. They are appealing to everyone who would like to give Peter the opportunity to live a relatively normal life to please support him through donations.
You can contribute by visiting:
https://clickndonate.com/please-assist-peter-olivier-to-have-a-relatively-normal-life-goal-r100-000 and making a donation.
The Olivier family is trying to get a discount on the procedure and should this happen any money received over the necessary amount will be immediately donated to the next person receiving the procedure.
Peter told the RECORD it would mean so much to him to be able to go back to studying and living a normal life.
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