Man unable to feel any fear after illness and operations

DOCTORS LEFT BAFFLED BY STRANGE CONDITION

HE’S jumped out of a plane at 17,000ft; abseiled down a 418ft tower and zip-wired across the Tyne.

But, each time, Jordy Cernik felt no fear.

The 42-year-old, of Jarrow, South Tyneisde, has lost the ability to feel frightened as a result of a combination of factors involving his health and a number of operations for a rare condition.

It all started in the late 1990s when Jordy was working in the television industry and was heading towards a career in front of the camera. He was gaining momentum as a presenter, working regularly as a TV warm-up man.

However, he started to gain weight and went from around 12st to more than 17st.

Then in 2006, when his daughter Aimee was born, he found he was unable to hold her due to constant sweating.

He said: “I could not hold her for more than five minutes because I was always dripping with sweat and that was soaking the baby. It was really upsetting.”

But after being seen by a junior doctor, he was diagnosed with Cushing’s syndrome – a collection of symptoms caused by high levels of a hormone called cortisol in the body.

Over the next 10 years, Jordy went through a series of brain operations and two procedures to remove his adrenal glands.

There were a number of complications along the way, including a major brain leak when liquid inside his skull seeped out. He went on to develop pneumonia and meningitis and even ended up on a life support machine.

In addition, he faced plastic surgery to remove large areas of fat from his chest as well as rhinoplasty to rebuild the inside of his nose that had decayed from the operations.

Then, in 2012, he realised there was a further change in him – he was not feeling any fear.

During a visit to Disneyland Paris, he hopped onto a rollercoaster but found he had no reaction to the speeding ride.

And, the following year, he decided to carry out a charity zipi wirei f from th the T Tyne B Bridgeid across to the Gateshead side. As he sat 84ft above the water, on the edge with his legs dangling off the Tyne Bridge, he did not feel scared.

Jordy, who is married to Tracy, 46, and also has an eight-year-old daughter, Evie, said: “At this point I knew Despite taking part in a skydive and abseiling a 418ft tower, Jordy Cernik, pictured below with his wife Tracy, could feel no fear planel withith th the windi banging off my face, I felt absolutely nothing. It was very clear from this moment I didn’t have a normal reaction to what we know as fear.”

With no true explanation from any of his doctors, Jordy agreed to take part in a BBC2 science program Dr Weston’s Casebook.

He also agreed to take on any challenge that the producers felt necessary to get a true reading.

So with a fear specialist from the University of Sussex, Jordy was monitored and tested while he abseiled from the 418ft National Lift Tower in Northampton. The results showed that his reaction flatlined – he had no reaction JORDY CERNIK

something was wrong ,so I decided to try out a skydive. I went on a small twin-engine plane that went up to 17,000ft.

“Even at the point where my legs dangled from the aero- at all to any form of fear or stress.

Jordy, who says his Cushing’s syndrome is now under control through medication, said: “I actually went down that tower twice and the results were the same.

“No one really knows how I have come to feel no fear, this is unheard of. But it appears to be a side-effect of a mixture of factors – the fact that my adrenal glands have been removed and that I’ve had so many procedures done which resulted in complications. I also have other health issues.

“The best way to put it is there’s a connection somewhere in my brain that’s broken. When I’m standing on top of a tower or dangling from the side of an aeroplane, I know I should feel fear. But the message is not getting through.

“I’ve also found that I have lost the drive and motivation to do things. I have to push myself and motivate myself. Though this is on a much smaller scale than the lack of fear.”

The dad-of-two says the loss of fear is “a two-edged sword”.

“On one hand it’s a good thing that I can try out all these new activities without fear,” he added. “In some ways it sounds superheroic.

“But at the same time, it’s sad and quite depressing that I can’t feel that little bit of fear, like a nervousness before going on stage or a rush and thrill on a ride.”