Robert led a very active lifestyle, working out every morning before starting work at 8am and working long hours as a lawyer. One day in 2004, he blacked out in the break room. After many doctor visits, he was able to get full disability from a judge in Raleigh. He moved to Jacksonville, FL to be closer to his mother (his only family other than his dog).
He was unrecognizable to his mother with how much his body had contorted due to the Cervical Dystonia. His chin sucks into his chest and his left ear into his left shoulder. His body is caving in on itself. He would have to use his knees to drive, to lift his head high enough to see the road when driving. He has been getting treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville and other clinics in Jacksonville and Gainesville to receive treatment for the neurological disorder.
The disorder is most akin to Parkinson’s disease. He has nerve pain that feels like he is being electrocuted. He is getting Botox injections (that last 3 months at a time) and radar frequency ablations to help navigate the pain. There really is no long-term prognosis as they don’t have a cure. There are only treatments being provided to help with the pain.
Mankind and its supporters were able to help Robert get pain medication so he could be more comfortable.