BIONIC man Clive Ruddy has wires in his brain and a computer in his chest after an amazing procedure to combat Parkinson's Disease at a Sheffield hospital.
The 62-year-old, from Penistone, was wide awake during five hours of brain surgery which has left him feeling like a new man.
Surgeons at Sheffield's Royal Hallamshire Hospital clamped his head to the operating table, drilled a hole in his skull and pushed probes inside – and then asked him to move his arms and legs!
Now he has wires in his brain, spanning an area of dead grey matter, that run down to a computer the size of a mobile phone implanted in his chest.
And Clive says he is 95 per cent clear of all symptoms after suffering the disease for more than 15 years.
He said: "My doctor says I'm bionic and I feel bionic! My shaking has stopped altogether and I'm virtually normal.
"I could hardly walk before the operation, I couldn't sit still and watch television and I had problems sleeping.
"During the op my head was numb but I could feel everything else. When they started drilling I could hear the bones cracking. It was terrifying, but when it was over I went straight to sleep, I was exhausted.
"My life has been totally transformed. It's the best decision I ever made."
It took Clive 10 years to agree to the procedure after a consultation with a top doctor in Birmingham left him afraid of surgery.
He changed his mind after eventually being forced to give up his driving licence and retire from his job as a welder.
Clive said: "I was terrified at the thought of the operation. But it got to the stage where I had no control over my body. Then I knew I had to do it."
The dad-of-one, of Rockside Road, Thurlstone, has put on nearly two stone since the operation in December and is looking forward to getting back into painting and fishing.
He and wife Sandra are even planning to go to Australia on holiday – although he must avoid X-ray security scanners which could turn his computer off.
Sheffield brain surgeon Jeremy Rowe said he was very pleased with Clive's progress.
He added: "The complex procedure which Mr Ruddy underwent is part of an ongoing study and trial looking at the impact surgery is making to the lives of patients suffering Parkinson's Disease and their carers.
"Patients undergoing this surgery are assessed and cared for by a multi-disciplinary team and this team approach is essential in selecting the individuals most likely to benefit from the operation."
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