WHEN Parkinson's disease looked like taking complete control of his life Bob Izon made a decision.

He volunteered to become a guinea pig in a national study to compare the difference of treating the disease by drug therapy or brain surgery.

He was chosen for the second and underwent the operation at Queen Elizabeth Medical Centre in Birmingham.

It took seven hours, cost £25,000 and was carried out by an all-woman team of 10. Bob had two electrodes inserted into the skull, connected to a wire under the scalp, fed down the neck under the skin of the chest wall to a battery operated stimulator which emits a small electrical impulse.

It was six weeks before the stimulator was fully switched on and the results were remarkable.

His Parkinson's had not been cured, but was under control and Bob was in charge of his life again.

He is well-known in Herefordshire as the former chief executive of Herefordshire Community Health Trust until his retirement in 2000.

A keen sportsman, Bob excelled at athletics, cricket and squash, but in recent years as Parkinson's progressed, he became shaky and awkward, unable to follow his interests.

The controlling drugs he was obliged to take seriously affected his wellbeing. Life became a burden, not a pleasure.

The revolutionary operation has changed all that. Bob has a new lease of life and shows no outward sign of the disease.

He has become a devotee of the game of bowls, and helps pupils with maths and literacy skills St Paul's School at Tupsley, where he is a governor.

In a few months he will take over as secretary of Hereford's Wye Valley Rotary Club. Bob is also back in the stands at Edgar Street enjoying the success of Hereford United. Before surgery he could do none of these.

There are around 500 victims of Parkinson's Disease in Herefordshire. Three, including Bob, have benefited from surgery - but only time will tell how long the benefits will last.