Wheeless

G Brandon Wheeless, a walk-on who previously served in the Navy, is the top returning guard, contributing an average of 3.0 points.

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference 2010

He knows that Wheeless is discouraged because his seizures — which had disappeared entirely for years at a time — have resumed and are becoming more frequent, twice already since New Year's.

In the Grip of the Unknown 2009

On the day he sees Wheeless, he also sees a college student who has had more than 100 seizures, the most recent one last fall.

In the Grip of the Unknown 2009

It may be an overstatement that Devinsky saved his life, because doctors can't predict who will die from epilepsy — although Wheeless, who estimates he has had 50 major seizures in his life and countless smaller ones, was certainly a candidate.

In the Grip of the Unknown 2009

For the relief Wheeless received, the risks seemed small enough to Devinsky, and manageable as long as he closely monitored his blood chemistry.

In the Grip of the Unknown 2009

"He saved my life," says Wheeless, who was back to see Devinsky recently at his office in Manhattan.

In the Grip of the Unknown 2009

Wheeless smiles a wan smile, picks up his helmet — for bicycling, not to protect his head in a seizure — and heads out the door.

In the Grip of the Unknown 2009

When he first treated Wheeless he was on Depakote, which was making him lethargic and fat; Devinsky substituted Felbatol in combination with Lamictal.

In the Grip of the Unknown 2009

Wheeless, a handsome, strapping 32-year-old, went on to graduate from the University of North Carolina, marry an actress and begin a career in the theater.

In the Grip of the Unknown 2009

The improvement was dramatic — so much so that he kept Wheeless on Felbatol even after reports appeared of deaths from liver failure and aplastic anemia.

In the Grip of the Unknown 2009