Morgan DeBlecourt
Blogs by Morgan DeBlecourt
Hemispherectomy Cures Epilepsy in Young Girl, Now Thriving
Ela Allam was diagnosed with epilepsy at age three and started taking anti-seizure medications. As Ela grew, her seizures became more frequent and more…
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Expert Diagnosis Helps College Professor Overcome Debilitating Dizziness
Severe vertigo forced 60-year-old Beth Huber to stop driving, start walking with a cane, and take medical leave from her professorship. When treatments failed…
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Man Keeps His Voice After Partial Laryngectomy Treats Laryngeal Cancer
Dale Jessup, 71, was diagnosed with voice box cancer (also known as laryngeal cancer) in late 2017. Despite radiation treatment, Jessup’s cancer returned in…
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HIFU Nearly Eliminates Essential Tremors in NC Man
David Phillips of Hope Mills, NC has had essential tremors in both hands for more than a decade. The tremors worsened over time until the 72-year-old…
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Pregnancy and Multiple Sclerosis: What You Need to Know
Women are three to four times more likely than men to develop multiple sclerosis (MS)1, a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the brain and spinal cord.…
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Chiari Malformation Symptoms Improve After Minimally Invasive Brain Surgery at Duke
Kendra Gerlach was used to chronic headaches; she’d had them since childhood. In May 2022, the 50-year-old, Richmond, VA resident experienced a headache so…
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New Alzheimer’s Medications Available at Duke
Two new drugs have been approved by the FDA to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s in some people in the early stages of the disease. Are these drugs right for…
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Early Hearing Aid Helps Toddler Meet Communication Milestones
Holly VanHorn was surprised to learn her newborn daughter Nessa needed a hearing aid. As an audiologist at Duke Health, VanHorn has been helping kids with…
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Duke Smoking Cessation Program Helps Woman Quit after Stroke
A stroke was the wake-up call that Jess Phair needed to stop smoking cigarettes. Duke’s Smoking Cessation Program provided a customized approach to help the…
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Epilepsy Surgery in Infancy Allows Toddler to Walk, Talk, and More
Seven-month-old Lily Twiddy was having up to 30 seizures a day despite taking six different epilepsy medications. Doctors worried that continued seizures could…
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Can’t Take Statins? There’s Another Choice for Lowering Cholesterol
If you need to lower your cholesterol but cannot take a statin because of muscle aches or other side effects, you may want to try an alternative. Research…
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If You’re an Adult with Congenital Heart Disease, Specialized Follow-Up Care Can Keep You Healthy
More adults are living with congenital heart disease than ever before thanks to surgical and treatment advances in children. However, despite surgical…
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