After living with Essential Tremor for three decades, 72-year-old Orlando Avendaño can finally hold his hand steady—thanks to a groundbreaking focused ultrasound procedure.
Avendaño’s condition had long disrupted his daily life. Simple tasks like eating with a fork became impossible, leaving him embarrassed and isolated. “We’ve turned down many social and family invitations,” said his wife, Iliana, through tears.
But everything changed at Delray Medical Center, one of just 79 U.S. facilities offering the non-invasive treatment. Using MRI-guided focused ultrasound, Dr. Lloyd Zucker and his team targeted the specific part of Avendaño’s brain responsible for the tremor—without the need for surgery or anesthesia.
“The MRI focuses the ultrasound like a magnifying glass,” explained Dr. Zucker. “We create a tiny lesion to eliminate the tremor.”
The procedure lasted just a few hours, and the results were immediate. Smiling and holding out his now-steady hand, Avendaño exclaimed, “Oh my God, it’s unbelievable.”
The treatment, fully covered by Medicare, has transformed his life. For Dr. Zucker, it’s a moment he never tires of: “He’ll go home and finally do all the things he couldn’t do. How do you put an adjective on that? You can’t.”
That same day, Avendaño returned home—tremor-free, his independence restored.
