Media room

July 20, 2006

Patient Who Discovered Own 'Miracle Cure' to Receive National Award in Kansas City

Assurant Employee Benefits salutes man who refused to accept 'there's nothing we can do' from doctors

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Jeff Matovic, a non-doctor who researched his own surgical cure for Tourette Syndrome symptoms and spent years searching for a doctor who would agree to perform the surgery, has been named the 2006 Shining Star of Perseverance by the WillReturn Council® of Assurant Employee Benefits.

Matovic will accept the award during ceremonies Tuesday, July 25, at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center Hotel. The Council will induct him and several other individuals into the 2006 class of the Perseverance Hall of Fame in a public presentation beginning at 10 a.m.

An Ohio resident, Matovic suffered such severe and constant convulsions that he could not hold a glass still long enough to drink from it. Yet he managed to research a procedure involving brain surgery that he was convinced would alleviate his symptoms. Numerous doctors refused his pleas to perform the procedure until physicians at University Hospitals of Cleveland finally agreed in April 2004. The surgery was successful, and Matovic has been symptom-free ever since.

The WillReturn Council's Perseverance Award honors individuals across the country who demonstrate an exceptional initiative to overcome obstacles and adapt their lives following an injury or disability. The Council created the Perseverance Hall of Fame in 2003 to provide permanent recognition for these inspiring individuals. The Council also created the Shining Star of Perseverance Award that year.

Matovic will be introduced and presented with the award by Steve Palermo, the former Major League Baseball umpire who was shot and temporarily paralyzed from the waist down in 1991 while rushing to the aid of a street-crime victim. Palermo is chairman of the WillReturn Council.

Matovic, Palermo and Assurant Employee Benefits President Mike Peninger will address an audience that will include civic and governmental leaders, representatives of local and national disability organizations and Assurant Employee Benefits employees. The ceremony is open to the public, and reservations are required to attend. Call (816) 881-8968 for information.

"None of us had heard of Jeff Matovic when we first conceived the Shining Star of Perseverance concept four years ago, but it almost seems as if it was tailor-made to honor him," Palermo said. "Jeff refused to accept that his condition was incurable. He researched a treatment that he thought would be effective, and then had to work just as hard, if not harder, to convince doctors to try this unproven therapy. He just would not accept defeat. That is the essence of perseverance, and makes Jeff a very worthy addition to our roster of shining stars."

Previous winners of the award include Air Force Lt. Col. Andrew Lourake, the first U.S. military pilot to return to active duty following an above-the-knee amputation; former U.S. Sen. Robert J. Dole; and mountaineer/author Aron Ralston, who amputated his own arm with a pocket knife to free himself from a rockslide to save his life.

Matovic is a 32-year-old from Cleveland who fought for years to find a doctor willing to try an untested, unproven surgical technique in an effort to cure the ferocious case of Tourette Syndrome that was ruining his life.

The technique is called deep brain stimulation surgery and involves implanting electrodes deep into the brain that serves as a sort of "brain pacemaker." It had been used successfully to treat other brain disorders such as Parkinson's disease, but no one in the medical establishment believed it would be of any use for Tourette Syndrome.

Matovic was convinced it would, but doctors refused to try it on him despite his pleas. His spasms were so frequent and so violent that he could barely speak, eat or drink, and couldn't hold a book still enough to read it.

He finally found doctors willing to attempt the surgery on him at University Hospitals of Cleveland, despite their severe doubts about its potential. He had two implants done -- one for each side of his brain -- in 2004. Matovic has been virtually symptom-free ever since. Since then, at least two other patients with severe Tourette have also been successfully treated with the same procedure.

Jeff is currently pursuing a master's degree in psychology at Walden University. He is married and has three children.

"The Shining Star is awarded annually to the individual who made the most significant contribution in the past year toward demonstrating perseverance through adversity," Palermo said. "Through this award, Jeff Matovic will serve as a beacon of hope to others fighting to overcome obstacles, and as an example to all that obstacles need not be insurmountable."

Peninger said Matovic's story is one of the most inspirational the Council has encountered in its history.

"Jeff is a real-life example of what our research tells us are the four key attributes that make the difference in rebounding from disability: resilience, proactivity, conscientiousness and will power," Peninger said. "We are thrilled and proud to add his name to the Perseverance Hall of Fame as another testament to the indomitable human spirit."

View a Windows Media File of Jeff (which will open in Windows Media Player): click here.

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View a QuickTime Movie File of Jeff (which will open in QuickTime Player): click here.

The WillReturn Council® and the Perseverance Awards

The WillReturn Council® was formed in 1998 by Assurant Employee Benefits and is chaired by Steve Palermo, a former major league baseball umpire who was shot and paralyzed from the waist down in 1991 while rushing to the aid of a street-crime victim. Palermo is an Assurant Employee Benefits disability claimant, and his personal experience uniquely qualifies him to direct the work of the council. Palermo's wife, Debbie, also serves as a member of the Council, bringing her own unique perspective on disability and rehabilitation as a caregiver and source of support for her husband during his rehabilitation.

No more than 12 individuals are chosen each year to receive a Perseverance Award, as commendation for the steps they took to return to a productive life and the spirit through which they managed their situations. Perseverance Award recipients are deemed to have demonstrated a greater degree of resilience, proactivity, conscientiousness and will power in facing their situations.

The Council meets quarterly to review case summaries of disability claimants who have successfully returned to work and select the individuals who will be honored with the Perseverance Award. The Council has also established a Partnership Award, which is presented to employers who demonstrate a strong commitment to making workplace accommodations for disabled employees or implementing policies or initiatives to encourage them to return to work.

The Perseverance Award process provides a way to celebrate the successes of Assurant Employee Benefits' disability claimants and policyholders and recognize the company's contributions to the successes. These case studies model recovery and return-to-work focused behaviors to others and can provide a forum for educating other employers on what they, partnering with Assurant Employee Benefits, can accomplish in helping their employees overcome disability and return to work.

The formalized review process of the Council also serves as another opportunity to build on successes and help Assurant Employee Benefits' Vocational Services and Clinical Services areas develop new strategies and programs of value to people with disabilities and their families. These strategies may include accommodations in the workplace, finding alternate careers for claimants and continually looking for ways to reduce risks in the workplace.

The WillReturn Council also presents the Partnership Award to companies that show extraordinary effort in supporting workers with disabilities; and the Pacesetter Award to health, rehabilitation or therapeutic professionals who have gone above and beyond expectations to assist disabled individuals to go forward with productive lifestyles or return to work.

The work of the WillReturn Council is just one more example of the Assurant Employee Benefits commitment to define and achieve the best possible outcome for the disabled person. In most cases, that means getting the person back to work. A return to a productive lifestyle usually provides physical, emotional and financial benefits by enhancing confidence and self-esteem, boosting income and relieving stress.

The WillReturn Council is an outgrowth of research to understand how people return to work following a disabling injury or illness. In conjunction with the renowned Menninger and Gallup organizations, Assurant Employee Benefits developed a database of how psychographic and demographic factors influence the rehabilitation process.

These studies resulted in WillReturn®, a revolutionary tool that combines demographic and psychographic information to help predict how particular claimants will respond to particular claims management initiatives. WillReturn assists case managers in identifying the needs of individual claimants and customizing services to those particular needs, enabling claimants to achieve better results sooner. The WillReturn Council examines and monitors the results of the WillReturn program in action.