A SURGERY
and to see his mum and aunt living full liv es, prompted Doug to put his time in bed to good use.
He pored over every medical journal, until he developed a theory. Something was mimicking a tumour and affecting his adrenal glands.
Doug finally found Dr H Cecil Coghlan who was willing to consider his uneducated research, and sure enough, a scan revealed the medulla – part of the brain stem inside the adrenal glands – had become enlarged.
Unfortunately, the condition was so rare there was no treatment.
Again, Doug hit the books and found some research on cats and dogs having surgery for the same condition.
Doug devised a 363-page theory of how human surgery would work, and 18 months later he found a surgeon willing to risk their medical licence and give it a go.
In 2010, after 11 years of being bedridden, Doug had his first medulla removed.
Three months later, he walked 1.6km to church.
Now, Doug has had both medulla removed and travels, working as a medical consultant for rare diseases.
The treatment was successful for his mum and aunt too.
‘I could have given up,’ Doug says. ‘But I took my illness as a chance to help us all.’