Op turns heights fear dad into daredevil
A FATHER who was terrified of heights has been transformed into a daredevil after having his adrenal glands removed.
Jordy Cernik struggled to climb a ladder without succumbing to vertigo before the surgery.
The 42-year-old has now parachuted from 17,000ft, abseiled down a tower block and taken a zipwire ride across the river Tyne.
Father-of-two Jordy suffers from a rare condition called Cushing’s syndrome, which creates high levels of the hormone cortisol in the body.
His weight rocketed from 12st to 17st and he was too weak to lift his children when they were babies.
He had a series of brain operations and his adrenal glands, which produce cortisol, were removed.
He realised his fears had vanished on a holiday to Disneyland, when he tested himself on a rollercoaster.
Jordy, of Jarrow, Tyne and Wear, said: “No one really knows how I have come to feel no fear – because you can’t see it.
“The no fear card I have been dealt is a combination of the fact that my adrenal glands have been removed and that I’ve had so many procedures done which resulted in complications.”
Radio producer Jordy, who is married to Tracy, 46, and has daughters Aimee, 11, and Evie, eight, was monitored by Sussex University as he abseiled from the 418ft National Lift Tower, in Northampton.
The results showed a “flatline” failure to react to fear or stress. Now that his Cushing’s syndrome is controlled by medication, Jordy said: “The best way to put it is that 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.”
He admitted that the loss of fear is “a two-edged sword”, adding: “I’ve also found that I have lost the drive and motivation to do things.
“On one hand it’s a good thing that I can try out all these new activities without fear.
“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.”