Published: May 29, 2018
Saving lives after his was saved
West Bend man honored by the Medical
College of Wisconsin is joined by the man who helped him overcome a deadly
disease
By Nicholas Dettmann
ndettmann@conleynet.com 262-306-5043
West Bend’s Mike Orban was sent home to the
U.S., traveling several time zones from western Africa where he was serving in
the Peace Corps, to die, carrying a disease no one could figure out what it
was.
It didn’t change once he returned stateside and
visited the U.S. State Department in Washington where he was seen by tropical
disease experts.
Orban fully believed he was going to die.
Everyone who saw him, thought the same thing.
That was nearly 40 years ago.
His life changed and was miraculously extended
for an additional 35plus years soon after he met Dr. Michael Dailey in
Menomonee Falls.
Dailey’s background in microbiology helped not
only diagnose what was wrong with Orban, but discover a cure.
On Friday, Orban was presented an honorary
doctorate degree for his work with post-traumatic stress disorder and veterans
by the Medical College of Wisconsin.
It’s safe to say had it not been for Dailey,
Orban wouldn’t have gone on a path that has helped saved the lives of countless
veterans from their battles of depression, trauma, alcoholism and suicide after
their time in the military.
“It’s staggering,” Orban said of the honor. “It’s
unbelievable. The passion I have is I know the suffering of an infantry
solider. I know the suffering of readjusting. ... I know that deep struggling.”
And of course Dailey wouldn’t miss the honor.
He was on stage with Orban during the hooding ceremony.
“As a doctor who was at the front line, having
a patient get better and go on and have a successful life as well as ... more
than a successful life and you contributed, it couldn’t get more thrilling as a
doctor,” Dailey said.
Orban was one of eight people who got honorary
degrees from MCW, the same institution that, with the help of Dailey, helped
Orban beat the odds. When Orban learned of the honor, he had flashbacks to that
flight home from Africa fully believing his time on Earth was rapidly approaching.
“(The doctors) said this was going to be a
painful death,” Orban said. “It was not looking good.”
Orban served in the Vietnam War and admitted
when
he returned home he “was so messed up.” Orban
was drafted in 1969 and served one year in Vietnam. When he came home, it was
10 years before PTSD was recognized as a disease. That forced Orban to wait
years to get help.
Since then, Orban has committed his life to
connect with veterans to make sure he catches them before they succumb to
alcoholism, depression, trauma or suicide.
“I was never shooting for the award,” Orban
said. “I was shooting to help another veteran and their families.”
Without a cure for PTSD or it being recognized
as an illness, Orban didn’t want to get on medication to treat some his bouts with
anxiety, depression, etc. Instead, what he did to help deal with those wounds
was he went to Africa and joined the Peace Corps. He lived in Gabon, on the
western edge of Africa, along the equator.
The last thing Orban wanted or needed was
something to go against him.
The effects of the illness were nearly
unbearable. Orban had golf ball-sized welts and pustules on his back that were
itchy and painful. His skin also deteriorated and some of those large scars
from his welts remain today.
Dailey remembers Orban’s case “like it was
yesterday.”
On Friday, Dailey called Orban’s case and
eventual diagnosis and cure the crowning achievement of his career. Dailey went
on to practice in Atlanta and collaborated on cases for the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
“He was like, ‘Mike. This was the important
case in my life,’” Orban said. “It was terminal.”
Orban became the first patient diagnosed in the
U.S. with the filarial disease Acanthocheilonema perstans (A. Perstans) from
the bite of a tsetse fly.
At the time, Dailey was in his first year as a
fellow in infectious disease. He had a master’s degree in microbiology.
“I was comfortable with the diseases,” Dailey
said. Several tests were done and no questions were answered. Dailey wasn’t
nervous about getting told he was getting someone destined to die. Instead, he
felt empowered and remained persistent.
“I felt that we had the technology to know the
answer,” Dailey said. “I thought there was someone who could put the crowning
blow on that diagnosis.”
Several experiments later, a diagnosis and a
cure was found. Then, once cured, Orban found his life calling.
“I get called all the time to come help them
with a veteran who is in real distress,” Orban said.
He co-founded The Warrior Partnership, an MCW
program in which veterans talk about traumatic war experiences with medical
students who learn how to integrate the unique needs of PTSD sufferers into
their care. He also co-founded the Incarcerated Veterans Project and serves on
the community-academic advisory board for Milwaukee PROMPT (Prevention of
Opioid Misuse through Peer Training project), a collaboration between MCW and
local veterans that is developing innovative ways to address opioid use
disorder among veterans. Orban often gives keynote speeches on PTSD, suicide
and transition to civilian life. He is also the author of “Souled Out,
Conquering Combat PTSD.”
“It reinforces that I’m doing the right thing
that I should be doing,” Orban said of the honorary doctorate. “It encourages
me to go on and do more.”
On Thursday, the day before the ceremony, it
was the first time Orban and Dailey had seen each other since Orban’s illness.
“There is just a connection that is so special
... he was part of a significant moment in your life,” Orban said.
When they saw each other, their faces had
changed quite a bit.
“We put on weight and we’re old,” Orban said
with a smile.
But Dailey said he quickly remembered Orban’s
voice the moment he heard it.
“I’d know his voice anywhere,” Dailey said.
Then, there was plenty of catching up and even
more hugs and handshakes, lasting about two days, Orban said.
“He kept telling me during the ceremony, I’m so
happy to be one part of your life to receive this award today,” Orban said.
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