Shannon Bunch has been suffering with a  a neuro-muscular disease for the past 24 years called dystonia. In brief, dystonia is involuntary muscle contractions. There is a procedure that has only been available to dystonia patients since the early 2000’s where brain surgery is performed to insert deep brain stimulators or DBS. DBS surgery consists of implanting two probes into the basal ganglia / sub-thalamic area of the brain. Lead wires are then “fished” underneath the scalp to the collar bone region where a battery is placed much like a pacemaker. The DBS, once engaged, will intercept the contracting signals to stop or greatly lessen the spasms. Shannon has been experiencing pain since the 7th grade, but  did not receive a diagnosis until 8 years ago. In spite of a regimen of Botox Injection treatments and other medications, the pain has significantly increased. At this time, the surgery is not scheduled pending insurance authorizations which should be completed in 1-3 months. The DBS process is broken down into 3 steps, the first of which is performed under local anesthesia.Â
Shannon and his family greatly appreciate prayer support during this time. Specific prayer requests are for minimal pain for Shannon, and for his wife Melissa as she carries the burden of more house-hold tasks. Also prayers are appreciated concerning finances since it’s possible the procedure could hinder ministry travel.Â
The staff at SGNScoops.com extends well wishes and prayer support to Shannon and his family during this time.