A 72-year-old Air Force veteran and retired salesman from Arlington, Texas, watched his years-long Parkinson's tremor disappear within minutes of a newly FDA-approved focused ultrasound procedure, a treatment his doctor calls "dramatic and life-changing."
Bud Leavell had lived with Parkinson's disease since 2017, when doctors diagnosed him immediately after surgery for thyroid cancer. His right hand shook. His voice turned weak and gravelly. He lost his sense of smell. For years, the disease chipped away at the simple tasks most people take for granted, holding a fork steady, gripping a tool, working on the antique radios he loves to repair in his garage.
On April 13, Leavell underwent a focused ultrasound procedure at UT Southwestern Medical Center. When it was over, the tremor was gone. Asked about it at his latest follow-up, Leavell told Fox News Digital simply: "What tremor?"
Leavell's Parkinson's diagnosis came in 2017. The symptoms arrived fast. Within days of his diagnosis, a tremor settled into his right hand, and his voice deteriorated. Fine motor work, the kind his radio repair hobby demands, became an exercise in frustration.
Medications help many Parkinson's patients manage symptoms, but they lose effectiveness over time and can produce side effects of their own. Dr. Bhavya Shah, the neuroradiologist at UT Southwestern who treated Leavell, said that reality is what pushes patients toward more aggressive options.
"Interventional options are discussed when the medications become less effective or patients develop side effects. These options include deep brain stimulation and now, focused ultrasound."
The FDA cleared focused ultrasound for the primary motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease, including stiffness and slowness, in January 2026. That approval opened the door for patients like Leavell, whose most disabling symptom was tremor, to pursue the procedure without an implanted device.
The treatment works by directing high-energy ultrasound waves through the skull and onto precise brain targets. Shah explained the mechanism in plain terms.
"High-energy ultrasound waves are focused across the skull onto discrete brain targets. The ultrasound energy heats up these nuclei, or nerve bundles, and removes them. This stops the pathologic transmission of electrical activity causing tremors or other symptoms."
Before the permanent step, doctors use advanced imaging to map the patient's brain. They then apply low-energy ultrasound first, a test run to confirm they have the right target. Shah called that built-in safety check one of the procedure's chief advantages.
"The beauty of focused ultrasound is that before we permanently remove the tissue, we can use low-energy ultrasound waves to see if the patient's symptoms respond to the particular target. This is very important, as the optimal target may vary in patients."
No incision. No implanted hardware. And for Leavell, no more shaking.
Shah said Leavell's tremor remained as well-controlled at his latest follow-up as it was the moment the procedure ended. The doctor noted that while Parkinson's produces several cardinal symptoms, slowness, stiffness, tremor, Leavell's most disabling complaint was the shaking.
"Although the cardinal symptoms of Parkinson's disease are slowness and stiffness, Bud's most bothersome symptom was tremor, so getting rid of the shaking was our primary goal."
Leavell described the change in practical terms. He can hold his hand still now, whether or not he is gripping a tool. He can get a loaded fork to his mouth without a fight.
"I can hold my hand still with or without a tool in my hand or while working on a project. I can also get a fork or spoon with food on it into my mouth with ease. But, this may turn into another problem, as I love to eat!"
He praised the medical team at UT Southwestern for professionalism and flexibility throughout the process, and he credited his faith. "God is in control of the circumstances in my life and will continue to be," Leavell said. But he added that when an opportunity like this one appears, he will take it: "However, anytime an opportunity comes along like this one, I will jump on it to see if I can experience an improvement in my circumstances."
Focused ultrasound is not risk-free. Shah put the side-effect rate at roughly 20 to 30 percent. Potential complications include numbness and tingling around the mouth and fingertips, difficulty walking, talking, or swallowing, weakness in an arm or leg, balance problems, and struggles with episodic memory. Shah said these effects generally improve over time.
For patients who want relief from Parkinson's motor symptoms but do not want an implanted device like a deep brain stimulator, the ultrasound approach fills a gap that did not exist before January. Shah urged patients to weigh the decision carefully with their neurologists.
"For patients seeking an alternative to an implantable device, focused ultrasound represents a promising alternative. A patient considering these options should have a thorough discussion with their movement disorder neurologist to really understand the pros and cons of each treatment."
Leavell's advice to other Parkinson's patients considering the procedure was blunter: "Don't let any grass grow under your feet."
Neither Leavell nor his doctor oversold the result. The treatment targets specific motor symptoms. It does not cure Parkinson's disease. Long-term efficacy data beyond Leavell's case is not yet available in the source reporting, and questions remain about how broadly the procedure will be offered and how durable the benefits prove across a larger patient population.
Still, for a 72-year-old veteran who spent eight years watching his hand shake, the outcome speaks for itself. He is back in his garage in Arlington, fixing old radios with steady hands.
The FDA gave its approval. The science delivered. And a man who had every reason to accept his condition refused to, and got his life back. That is the kind of medical progress Americans should cheer, no matter where they sit on the political spectrum.
