"The community is hungry for care and hungry for appropriate care."
Ozzie Echemendia’s “second chance of life” came in the form of a wire that runs from his brain all the way to his upper chest.
Echemendia is in a battle with Parkinson’s disease, a movement disorder that affects the nervous system and usually worsens over time, causing tremors and making it difficult to walk and speak.
It wasn’t long ago that the 54-year-old father of two found himself on the couch, unable to work or even walk without help. He had frequent tremors.
He could barely speak. He was taking 60 pills a day, on average.
“Parkinson’s steals. It doesn’t care what you owe to the bank. It doesn’t care about keeping the lights on or feeding your kids,” Echemendia, who lives in the Redland area of South Miami-Dade, told the Miami Herald during a recent video interview.
“The fact that I’m here sitting with you, it’s a miracle.”
In May 2025, he underwent a minimally invasive brain surgery to implant a device in the area of the brain that largely controls movement and is connected to a battery implanted in his upper chest.
Shortly after recovery, the “programming” started.
Read more at the Miami Herald