It began in 2012. One moment, Jeff Oerton was on a ladder hanging Christmas lights. The next, he was on the ground. Brenda, his wife, heard the crash and ran to him. The following day, they went to their family doctor, who ordered a scan. Something wasn’t right, so Jeff was sent to Newmarket, then North York. Neurologists suspected he had hydrocephalus—a condition where excess fluid builds up in the brain. But they weren’t certain.
At first, the changes were subtle. He started walking differently. He was feeling unbalanced. Then, he started falling more often and was even struggling to get up from a chair. Eventually, he had to rely on multiple walkers throughout their home. He was also declining cognitively. He was speaking less and he needed constant care.
Jeff served as a sergeant with the Ontario Provincial Police for 30 ½ years, dedicating his life to protecting others. As a father, husband and friend, he was always loyal, dependable and willing to lend a hand. But now, the “Jeff” Brenda had known for decades was slipping away.
Nearly 10 years after the fall, Jeff’s doctors gave him a devastating diagnosis.
“They said, ‘He’s got Parkinsonism, which causes symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease. There’s no cure. He will eventually need a wheelchair,’” Brenda recalls. “And I responded, ‘No. Not yet.’”
She knew they needed a second opinion from someone who would truly investigate what was happening.
“I wanted a larger teaching hospital,” she says. “I wanted London.”
They were referred to Dr. Mandar Jog, a neurologist at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC). Dr. Jog ruled out Parkinson’s disease and instead confirmed Jeff’s original diagnosis of a form of hydrocephalus. He then connected them with neurosurgeon Dr. Jonathan Lau, who had a solution after reviewing his MRI, which showed an area of obstruction: an endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) to relieve the pressure in Jeff’s brain. There were no guarantees. But they had to try.
“The procedure involves putting a small camera into the ventricles and making a small opening to allow the excess fluid to drain normally,” says Dr. Lau. “For certain types of hydrocephalus, this is a welcome alternative to implanting a shunt, which while helpful, carries a certain amount of risk and morbidity related to hardware malfunction.”
The results were almost immediate.
Three months after the surgery, Jeff walked into his follow-up appointment—without any mobility aid. He was also speaking again. It was as if he had been asleep all those years and was finally waking up.
Today, Jeff leads his local Lions Club, stays active in his community and is getting back to living on his own terms.
“I got my husband back,” Brenda’s voice trembles, each word carrying the weight of years spent fighting for answers. “Dr. Lau gave us our Jeff back.”
Six weeks post-surgery, Jeff and Brenda’s son was graduating from the Provincial Police Academy, following in his father’s footsteps. Jeff had one goal: he wanted to walk onto that stage and give his son his badge.
And he did.
Determined, he climbed the steps—no walker, no handrail—and placed the badge in his son’s hands.
It took 12 years. It took countless doctors. But Brenda and Jeff are so grateful to Dr. Jog and Dr. Lau for thinking outside the box.
“If one person tells you there’s nothing more they can do,” Brenda says, “don’t give up hope.”
Recently, friends invited them to a dinner and dance at their local Royal Canadian Legion.
Jeff, the man who once struggled to take a single step, stood up and smiled.
“Yeah,” he said. “I’d like to go dancing.”
