GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Two years ago, Ellis Johnson of Grand Rapids began losing sensation in his right leg. He went to bed, not thinking much of it.
When he woke up and had the same sensation he called for an ambulance.
"We talked all the way to the hospital, and then he [the paramedic] said, 'Well, I think you may have had a stroke,'" said Johnson. "And I said, 'A stroke?'"
At the hospital, doctors confirmed after testing he had a stroke. He spent several months in the hospital and even longer doing occupational therapy.
"I thought, 'Oh no, this is the end,'" said Johnson. "Initially I thought, 'Well, there's no hope. There's no hope. I might end up in a nursing home or have to depend on relatives.' And I said, 'Oh, no. I gotta do whatever I can to keep that from happening.'"
He discovered a procedure using a newly FDA-approved device called Vivistim Paired VNS System. He was approved and had the procedure done in early 2024.
"Researchers have found that utilizing the Vivistim device, which is actually a device that's placed on the vagus nerve on the left side of the neck," said Dr. Sanjay Patra, neurosurgeon at Corewell Health. "When we deliver electrical therapy to that nerve, and patients are doing their rehab exercises that they would normally be doing with an occupational therapist after a stroke, it accelerates their recovery."
The goal of the Vivistim device is to improve upper body mobility for patients who have had a stroke. Patra said it's a similar device to one currently used for Epilepsy patients.
"We really feel that this is a breakthrough in stroke rehab," said Patra. "There really hasn't been any devices, or really medications, that have helped patients recover from stroke. And this is really the first, at least, surgical therapy that's been shown to benefit patients."
Corewell Health was the first health system in Michigan to implant the Vivistim device.
For Johnson, he has seen great improvement in his mobility since the device was implanted in his neck.
"It's done me a world of good," said Johnson. "I'm going to try and be as healthy as I can for as long as I can."
Johnson said he has seen a great improvement in his dexterity and his walking.
"I do things like trying to pick up small things, like picking up buttons, writing," said Johnson. "I could not do very well, but I'm getting better at that."
Now, Johnson is back to doing what he loves, traveling with his signifcant other. He urges others to do whatever they can to improve their lifestyle.
"I think a lot of people who have strokes, they just think that it's the end," said Johnson. "But I want them to know that that's not. It's not the end. Every day that you wake up and you're breathing, you're ahead of the game."