I Can’t Believe the Doctor Said That!

“My son has autism. When we aksed his doctor about seeking out HBOT treatments for him we were told that she didn’t recommend it as it could harm him. After much consideration and prayer, we decided to go to Sara’s Garden for HBOT treatments anyway.

When we were nearly 3/4 of the way through his treatments we were noticing huge gains in his social and speech skills. We took him back to his doctor for his 3 month checkup. The doctor was amazed at the progress he had made. She asked us what we had been doing different. When I told her that we had begun doing Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy at Sara’s Garden her response was, “Huh?!?”

She then proceeded to question me as what HBOT was and what it was doing for him. I asked her how she could have told me that she didn’t recommend that we do the treatments in the first place and how it could have possibly harm him if she didn’t even know anything about it…”

Concussion puts NHL Dreams on Ice

There can be no denying that hockey is Canada’s national game. It is on television and radio all day… every day. Virtually every young Canadian dreams of playing in the National Hockey League when they grow up. Stratford, Ontario’s Joey Hishon was no exception. In June 2010 those dreams were on their way to becoming a reality as Joey was selected by the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft. As he donned the Avalanche jersey and stood there on the stage of the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, it began to sink in that all of the hard work and late night skates had finally paid off.

Joey went on to play his final season of Canadian junior ice hockey. He led the Owen Sound Attack in scoring with 87 points (37 goals, 50 assists) averaging an impressive 1.74 points per game. He was instrumental in guiding the Attack to the J. Ross Robertson Cup as the 2010-11 Ontario Hockey League Champions.

Everything was going according to plan. Joey was to compete in one final Memorial Cup tournament before heading to Colorado for training camp to fulfill his dreams of playing in the NHL. The Memorial Cup is awarded annually to the Canadian Hockey League champion. It is a four-team tournament between a host team and the champions of the Ontario Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and Western Hockey League and is the pinnacle of junior hockey success.

On May 21, 2011 Joey’s dreams of playing in the NHL were in danger of being put on ice as he sustained a violent, illegal elbow to his head in his team’s first game of the Memorial Cup. Blood dripped from his face as he lay on the ice before being helped off by staff and teammates. Joey was diagnosed with a concussion and was forced to sit out the remainder of the tournament. Little did he know that this was just the beginning of a long break from the game he loved.

Nearly four months after he was knocked out of the Memorial Cup, Joey was still not able to take part in on-ice activities at Colorado’s fall training camp. Daily headaches kept him from participating in any physical activity. As more time went by, headaches continued to provide an ongoing reminder of the injury he had received to his brain. Even on days when he would not have a headache, Joey felt like his mind was clouded, as if he were walking around in a constant fog. Any physical exertion would cause him to experience painful pressure in his head.

Doctors refused to clear Joey for play until all of his headaches and concussion symptoms had subsided. The only remedy that they would prescribe to him was rest. Before he knew it, four more months had passed and half the season was lost as his condition did not improve. Then a friend told Joey about Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and explained how it had helped him overcome a similar injury. Unfortunately, Joey was asked not to pursue treatments and told that while there was evidence HBOT would aid in post-concussion recovery, there was no proof that it would help in the relief from headaches.

Joey was forced to continue waiting. Three more months passed and the entire 2011-12 season was lost. He could wait no longer. Joey arrived at Sara’s Garden a mere 14 days shy of the one year anniversary of his concussion. As he progressed through his round of treatments he became hopeful as the frequency of his headaches began diminishing. He started working out in his hotel’s gym and noticed that he was not experiencing the pressure in his head as he had in the past.

After completing a round of 40 HBOT treatments, Joey is now on the path to recovery and working towards becoming an NHL player like he has always dreamed of. Thanks to Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy at Sara’s Garden, Joey is back on the ice and his dream of a career in the NHL is no longer on hold.

No matter what you’ve been told, there is hope… for this and many other conditions. HBOT is treatment without drugs… without surgery… without pain.

2012 Sara’s Garden Poker Run Photos

Saturday, June 23rd was the 9th Annual Sara’s Garden Poker Run. We had such an amazing day for the ride. We would like to thank all of the volunteers, participants and sponsors that helped make this event possible.

Vounteers: As always, we are humbled by your willing participation and involvement. Thank you so much for braving the heat to check-in and check-out riders, work the stops, take photographs, and prepare the amazing meal.

Participants: Thank you again for taking time out of your day to spend it with us on this ride. We love seeing you each year and appreciate your continued support of Sara’s Garden. We hope you all enjoyed the ride and the food and look forward to hanging out with you again next summer.

Sponsors: Thank you so much for your donations to this event. Because of your support we were able to provide the winners with great prizes again this year. We are so grateful for your support and are so proud to be a part of such a caring community.

Below are photos from the event. Click on a thumbnail to see a larger version.

We look forward to seeing you all again next year at the 10th Annual Sara’s Garden Poker Run!

Sara’s Garden Partners with Wauseon Schools

Sara’s Garden is pleased to announce its partnership with Wauseon Schools providing gross motor and fine motor intervention services which utilize Conductive Education methodology and techniques to Wauseon students!

Through this partnership, Wauseon students, preschool through high school, who have gross motor and/or fine motor goals on their Individualized Education Program (IEP) or who have motor needs on their 504 Plan, will receive motor intervention services from the Sara’s Garden Conductive Education team within the school setting.

Wauseon Schools is unique in its decision to break away from traditional services and offer something “out-of-the-box” to students with motor development needs. Wauseon Schools documented educational progress as well as developmental and functional gains in eight students who elected to switch from traditional services to Conductive Education during the 2011-12 academic year and have now made the decision to provide this service to all its students in the district who can benefit from it.

Through this partnership, which will begin at the start of the 2012-13 school year, it is our belief that we can provide services that are cost-effective, efficient, and most importantly yield high-quality results.

As part of our desire to have all children with special needs receive the highest quality services that they deserve, Sara’s Garden is open to sharing our experience, and would be happy to help others in their attempts to achieve such a partnership in their local area. For questions on Conductive Education programming, please contact us at 419.335.7272. If you are interested in having these or similar services placed on your child’s IEP and you are outside of the Wauseon school district, please contact your local administrator(s) to make your request known. Administrators are welcome to contact Sara’s Garden and/or Wauseon Schools for more specific information.