Teen hopes treatment will help disease (RSD)

The shelves on the wall of 17-year-old Melissa McCormick's bedroom boast dozens of trophies, ribbons, and medals a testament to her athletic ability.

But Melissa, who was once on her way to an athletic scholarship, is now confined to a wheelchair. The Deptford Township resident was diagnosed with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) late last year.

RSD is a progressive disease of the autonomic nervous system that causes severe pain, described as a "burning pain," swelling, discoloration of the skin, and other symptoms.

For Melissa, it started last November with a pain in her arm, and then spread to her leg.

After Melissa was finally diagnosed doctors were initially stumped as to what was wrong she was put on pain medication and started a physical therapy regime. But things only got worse.

"It got to the point where I couldn't walk at all," Melissa said.

Meanwhile, the Gloucester Catholic High School student was still going to school, determined to finish out her senior year.

"I just wanted to have fun with everyone else," she said.

Then in April, the pain became so intense that she had to stop going to school.

"The pain was unbearable," she said. "I couldn't do it."

Now Melissa is preparing for a treatment conducted by Dr. Philip Getson, a family physician based in Medford who specializes in the treatment of RSD.

Getson, who said he sees about eight to 10 RSD patients a day, uses Ketamine, an anesthetic, to treat the portion of the brain that appears to be malfunctioning.

Typically, patients are treated with the Ketamine 10 consecutive days for five hours each day. Then the treatment is reduced over a period of time.

The McCormick family believes this is the treatment that will work for Melissa.

"I'm worried, but I'm to the point where I don't care I just want to walk," Melissa said.
And, according to Getson, there's a good chance it will.

"Eighty-five percent of the people that I have treated since 2004 with Ketamine have improved," he said. "There are varying degrees of improvement, but improved."

Melissa's father, Mike McCormick, expects "to go to battle" to get his health insurance to cover the treatment, which he said can cost about $1,400 per day.

To help the McCormicks pay for the treatment and Melissa's numerous medical bills, Melissa's friend of six years, Dan Glassman, has started a fund-raising campaign called "Putting out the Flame." For more information, visit www.freewebs.com/melmccormick/.