Avid runner Kirsten Jackson had completed 19 marathons before her 51^st birthday, but four years ago, she was stopped in her tracks by runner’s dystonia – a rare neurological movement disorder that left her barely able to walk, let alone run.

After many failed treatments around the world, and hundreds of thousands of dollars spent, Kirsten turned to Cabrini neurologist Dr Wesley Thevathasan and Cabrini neurosurgeon Mr Kristian Bulluss, who performed a deep brain stimulation (DBS) procedure on the 55-year-old mum.

Within weeks of recovery, Kirsten was walking freely, and soon after, she was back to running again.

In October, Kirsten completed the Melbourne Marathon in an extraordinary time – a feat she attributed to her remarkable Cabrini team.

“I was pretty desperate,” Kirsten said. “I’d been struggling with dystonia for about four years before I met Wes. I’d travelled all over the world for treatments and was really grieving that part of me that I’d lost.

“Then when Wes talked to me about DBS, he was very honest and said I had about a 50 per cent chance that I would see an improvement in my condition. I thought, ‘I’ll show you’, and sure enough, here I am now, back to running marathons.

“Wes definitely overdelivered!”

DBS works like a pacemaker, with an implanted battery that delivers electrical current through a wire implanted into specific brain regions. It can also be used to treat Parkinson’s disease and essential tremors.

Before her surgery in February, every step Kirsten took required thought just to put one foot in front of the other, but the DBS successfully suppressed the abnormal signals that Kirsten’s brain was sending.

“Deep brain stimulation for dystonia works by recalibrating abnormal brain activity, allowing motor circuits to ‘relearn’ more normal patterns of control,” A/Prof Thevathasan said. “The process resembles neuroplastic change, so just as practice refines a skill, the effects of DBS build gradually over months.

“For Kirsten, who struggled to walk her dog before she came in to see us, the change in just a few months was extraordinary – from barely walking to running a marathon.”

Kirsten certainly did “show” her treating team, but she also showed immense gratitude to A/Prof Thevathasan and Mr Bulluss, sending a heartfelt message after she completed her 20th marathon.

“I ran the Melbourne Marathon yesterday and could not have done this without you both,” Kirsten emailed Wes and Kristian. “I feel so lucky to have had you both as my doctors and wanted to let you both know how happy I am and how you both have given me my life back!

“I ran the marathon in 3 hours 46 minutes and had the best day ever!!  THANK YOU 🙏.”

Kirsten’s story was first told in the Herald Sun.