Greg Grindley plans to have his brain operation shown live on the National Geographic Channel. Grindley is having the surgery after being diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s disease. The surgery will take place on Sunday October 25th at 9pm EST at the University Hospital Case Medical Center in Cleveland, OH.
Grindley says, “It’s frightening. But it’s a shot at getting better and showing others that you can’t give up.”
The live two-hour event will be called “Brain Surgery Live”. It will air in 171 countries worldwide in 45 different languages. The surgery will air in real time by using two handheld cameras plus several robotic cameras that will be connected to the surgical equipment.
Grindley will be awake and talking during the procedure. He will be able to point out the affected area of his brain.
Grindley lives in Atwater, Ohio, and he has raised three children from a previous marriage. He has been having problems with twitches since 2004. His issues have progressively gotten worse over the years, but the family man has maintained a positive attitude, choosing to live life to the fullest. He met his current wife Crystal after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s. She says that she supports him in receiving the surgery.
Crystal said, “I want him to feel like he has more freedom. He has so much that he wants to do.”
However, she does have some concerns about the surgery.
“The possibility of one wrong move is a little frightening. But we just lean on faith. God has a lot more for Greg to do in this world. We have always talked to each other about everything, so we spend a lot of time talking about the fear and the hope of what is going to come out of it.” she said.
After the surgery, Greg hopes that he will be able to move better and spend more time with his three children. He wants to live a more active lifestyle. By broadcasting his surgery live, Greg wants to inspire other people to never give up.
Greg and Crystal have helped other people in the past. In June of 2012, the family started a food pantry at their local church. The food pantry distributes food to more than 350 needy families. They also provide backpacks filled with meals for underprivileged children.
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