Like Getting Hit in the Head With a Bat': Can a Man With a 19-Year Headache Find Relief?

When Jon Bromenschenkel was 15 he injured his head in an ATV-ing accident. More specifically, he "flew about 30 feet and landed on my head on the ice," as he explains it to the local CBS affiliate WCCO in Minnesota.

This accident has caused him suffering ever since. Although he may appear completely healthy on the outside, Bromenschenkel has lived with a pounding headache for the past 19 years.

He describes the constant pain as "kind of like getting hit in the head with a bat."

"It’s that hard dull pain and it’s right across the forehead here," he told CBS gesturing to where he could feel it most.

Like many who suffer migraines, Bromenschenkel's headache interrupts many of his every day activities, like playing with his 3-year-old Finnegan.

“(Jon) has his up and downs and as a family we try our best to make it work … some days are better than others,” said Jon’s wife, Sarah, to WCCO.

Watch the WCCO report where Bromenschenkel describes his situation:

Naturally, Bromenschenkel has tried to relieve the pain in anyway he knew how with little success, but WCCO reports that relief may be in sight. Here's more:

Earlier this year, Jon flew to New York for yet another attempt to relieve the pain. He tested a newer procedure, called the Reed Procedure, which tricks the mind using electronic pulses. It has been used to relieve back pain, and it’s being used on the head. It worked. The pain was cut in half.

“To have (the pain) cut in half like that, it’s just going to open up my life completely,” said Jon. “I’ve been trying my best while I have this headache, but to have this done would be a miracle.”

[...]

A permanent solution would mean implanting wires under the skin on Jon’s forehead.

Here the founder of the Reed Procedure describes how it works:

Even though Bromenschenkel believes this procedure would change his life, it is not covered by insurance and would cost too much out of pocket for the family to afford. With the goal of raising $65,000 for the operation and other expenses surrounding it, the family has already received a little more than $35,000. This is more than the website Give It Forward, the site they are using to help process donations, reports the family has collected, but they state they have received personal checks in addition to donations through the site.

In addition to monetary donations, family and friends have also helped organize a recent party for Bromenschenkel, which took place on Tuesday, that included a silent auction. They also have an ongoing, online auction for other goods here.

Learn more about Bromenschenkel and his family on the Support for Jon Bromenschenkel Facebook page here.