Arizona artist returns to woodcarving after brain surgery

Bill Daggett, an Arizona artist, resumed woodcarving following deep brain stimulation surgery. The procedure was designed to manage the tremors caused by his Parkinson’s disease.

Daggett developed the condition decades after he first took up woodcarving. The symptoms eventually became severe enough to affect his daily life. A doctor attending an art show observed Daggett’s shaking and recommended he seek a medical evaluation. The subsequent diagnosis was Parkinson’s disease.

“I couldn’t even eat, hardly. I was shaking so bad, and I didn’t want to go out anymore,” Daggett said. He explained that the physical struggle led to depression, as he did not want others to see him unable to hold a fork.

Medication provided limited relief for his symptoms. Daggett then chose deep brain stimulation, a therapy that sends electrical pulses to specific areas of the brain to interrupt tremor signals. His hands are now steady enough for him to carve wood again.

Sam Cradduck, a gerontologist and host of “Aging Untold,” described the therapy as similar to a cardiac pacemaker. “What they did was basically give his brain a pacemaker,” Cradduck said. He noted that the device helps the brain reset and send electrical pulses to reduce tremors and slow disease progression.

Cradduck characterized the surgery as a breakthrough for patients who have lived with the disease for years. He emphasized the emotional impact of losing creative abilities. “We forget to talk about the emotional loss, and that’s where this guy was at,” Cradduck said. He added that the disease had been robbing Daggett of a core part of his identity, beyond just physical tasks like eating.