Cameraman’s Condition Caught by Doctor During Shoot, Offers Him Life-Changing Surgery

A routine news shoot led to a life-changing medical opportunity for a cameraman who has quietly battled a condition that made even the simplest tasks at work and in daily life a challenge.

Kirk Neff, a longtime cameraman for Canadian news outlet CTV, suffers from essential tremors — a neurological disorder that causes uncontrollable shaking during precise movements, such as handling camera equipment. He first noticed symptoms at age 16, and early attempts at treatments offered limited relief.

“I didn’t really know what it was, but I started taking pills and they gave me stuff for it, and it never really worked,” Neff says in a video series for CTV National News.

“It takes a lot out of you,” Neff adds. “So not only are you shaking, but your mind’s working 24/7… not only on what you’re doing, but working on trying to keep your hands straight.”

Over time, the condition increasingly affected his ability to work and even perform simple actions like holding a cup of coffee. In a report for CTV National News, Neff’s colleague Omar Sachedina, Chief News Anchor and Senior Editor of the outlet, describes witnessing the impact on the cameraman’s life firsthand.

“When I first started working with Kirk early in my career, the shakes seemed minor,” Sachedina says. “But progressively, they got worse. He was always prepared with a few jokes to distract guests when putting on a microphone, trying to mask what was happening with his hands.”

A turning point came during a recent news shoot when Neff met Dr Mojgan Hodaie, a neurosurgeon at Toronto Western Hospital. As Neff shook as he assisted Dr Hodaie with a microphone for the video, she immediately recognized his condition.

“I can fix that,” Dr Hodaie told the cameraman.

‘You Saved My Life, You Saved My Career’

The encounter with Dr Hodaie at that news shoot led to a surgical intervention that transformed Neff’s daily life. He underwent a five-hour procedure, performed while he was awake, during which Dr Hodaie implanted an electrode near the network of nerves responsible for his tremors and connected it to a pacemaker in his chest. The device delivers deep brain stimulation, a mild electrical charge that stabilizes the shaking and can be adjusted via a smartphone.

“It’s amazing how life has a way of falling into place,” Neff says. “The morning after surgery, I picked up a bowl of soup with my left hand—the one they operated on — and for the first time, it didn’t shake. I could hold a hot drink without spilling it. It felt like a new beginning.”

Neff has shared his story in a CTV video series and received messages from people living with essential tremors, many inspired by his journey. While only his left hand has been treated so far, he is scheduled for the right side in the near future. In a poignant clip for CTV where Neff reunites with Dr Hodae, the emotional and grateful cameraman thanks her.

“You saved my life. You saved my career,” Neff tells Dr Hodae. “I hate being emotional like that, but you saved my career. I probably wouldn’t last probably the next five years because it was getting worse, and you saved it.”