Safety is No Accident

Safety is No Accident

At Sara’s Garden, our mission to provide safe and effective Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) treatments is no accident. The safety of our clients and staff is our top priority. Hyperbaric oxygen chambers are considered safe when used appropriately with trained staff who follow strict safety protocols. These safety protocols are crucial because increased oxygen concentration and pressure, while therapeutic, can also pose risks like ear and sinus pain, middle ear injuries, oxygen toxicity and fire hazards. Following these protocols helps to minimize these risks and maximize the benefits of HBOT.

Not all hyperbaric chambers are the same. It is important to understand the difference in how these chambers operate and the benefits you receive so that you may safely achieve your health goals.

Multiplace chambers, such as the one used here at Sara’s Garden, are the safest type of chambers in existence. Still, given the oxygen rich environment, a risk of fire and injury to the client in the chamber exists if you do not adhere to sound safety and maintenance protocols. Multiplace chambers are pressurized with ambient air, and oxygen is delivered through masks or hoods. This reduces the likelihood of a fire compared to monoplace chambers, which are pressurized with 100% oxygen.

The medical grade oxygen we use here at Sara’s Garden fills the client’s hood during the time of treatment only. This also reduces the chance for oxygen toxicity. While oxygen is beneficial for healing, high concentrations and pressures can lead to oxygen toxicity. Multiplace chambers reduce this risk by delivering oxygen through the masks or hoods since the chamber itself is pressurized with air.

The greatest risk of fire present in a multiplace hyperbaric chamber comes from unsafe items being brought into the chamber. Staff at Sara’s Garden do a pre-treatment safety check prior to anyone going into the chamber to avoid any unsafe, banned items from going into the chamber and potentially causing a spark.

Multiplace chambers hold more than one client at a time. This allows us to provide a health care professional attending to the clients in the chamber. The inside attendant aides the clients with any issues that may arise. Clients walk into the chamber and sit on their seat. Clients may also stand up and stretch during the treatment. Having more than one client in the chamber at a time, helps clients pass time by chatting with each other as they develop a sense of camaraderie, many becoming friends long after the treatments are completed.

The four registered nurses at Sara’s Garden are all Certified Hyperbaric Registered Nurses. (CHRN). According to the Baromedical Nurses Association, hyperbaric oxygen therapy requires nurses to have a heightened degree of patient assessment skills, advanced knowledge of specific disease processes, and the technical ability not elsewhere seen in nursing environments. CHRN signifies that a registered nurse has made the commitment to provide the best care for hyperbaric clients and to value education and nursing research in the hyperbaric community. We also have an EMT/Paramedic who is a great asset due to her knowledge in emergency care and assessment of clients.

The other type of chamber available is a monoplace hyperbaric chamber. One client at a time goes into a monoplace chamber at a time. The healthcare professional is outside the chamber. Clients who may have serious medical diagnosis may not be a candidate for a monoplace chamber since they don’t have an inside attendant to aide them in any medical or health issues that might arise. A claustrophobic client may not be able to go into a monoplace chamber due to the small space. Another disadvantage of a monoplace chamber is it poses a higher risk of fire. The entire chamber is pressurized with pure oxygen, not ambient air, so the risk of fire is much higher than in a multiplace chamber. Clients and staff need to be very diligent to follow strict safety protocols to maintain a safe environment.

While monoplace chambers are considered safe for human occupancy, these chambers carry the inherent dangers of creating a pressurized pure oxygen chamber environment. Monoplace chambers are as therapeutically effective as multiplace chambers. However, they are far more restrictive, as you cannot interact with others except to speak with a technician via an intercom system. Treatment in a monoplace chamber has often been described as being very claustrophobic and lonely. These factors lead to a high percentage of patients failing to comply with their HBOT program.

While both monoplace and multiplace chambers offer the same benefits of HBOT, multiplace chambers are often considered safer, especially for critically ill patients, due to the use of air pressurization, improved oxygen delivery, ventilation and circulation systems, patient interaction, and the ability to provide the highest level of patient support. No matter which type of chamber is used, clients receive 100% oxygen under pressure, thus allowing the body to begin the healing process.

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.

Fueling Your Event, One Cup at a Time

Fueling Your Event, One Cup at a Time

Grad party? Wedding? Customer Appreciation Event?

We have you covered! With an extensive menu of coffee, lattes, cold brew, smoothies, lemonades, burritos, cookies, muffins, and more, the Special Grounds Coffee Truck can help make any event even more special.

If you are interested in booking the coffee truck or would like more information, please reach out to us at: coffeetruck@specialgroundscoffee.com.

2025 Drive Fore Hope Recap

2025 Drive Fore Hope Recap

This year’s Drive Fore Hope charity golf scramble was a huge success! That could not have been possible without the support of all who participated, donated or volunteered their time to be a part of this incredible event.

Thirty two (32) teams of golfers were able to play the event under absolutely gorgeous, sunny (albeit chilly) skies. We were blessed to receive sponsorships from our generous partner organizations. We’re so thankful to the staff, volunteers and students who helped make the event run so efficiently.

This year’s winning team was from K & L Farms. Pictured to the side is: Larry Langenderfer, Rick Langenderfer, Maggie Langenderfer, Dick Langenderfer and Travis Whitaker.

A commemorative brick will be created for them and placed in the patio of our playground at NHA.

Thank you everyone for making this event possible.

Platinum Title Sponsors:

  • 20/20 Custom Molded Plastics, LLC
  • Everence
  • F&M Bank
  • Returning American Warriors
  • Rupp Seeds, Inc. 
  • Winzeler & Bok, LTD

Silver Contest Sponsors:

  • Babcock Flooring Installations           
  • Continental Plaza Car Wash & Drive Thru Carry Out
  • Custom Agri Systems, Inc.
  • D. I. F. L.
  • DR Ag & Construction
  • Dumas Family
  • Fitzenrider
  • Haas Door
  • Holthues & Associates
  • Justin & Traci Thompson
  • K & L Farms
  • Meyer-Badenhop Insurance
  • OmniSource
  • Pettisville Grain
  • Riley Tractor Parts, Inc.
  • Schuette Construction, Inc.
  • Sonit Systems
  • Subway of Archbold
  • Wayne Dalton Garage Doors

Gold Event Sponsors:

  • Circle K

Bronze Meal Sponsors:

  • ACE Hardware – Wauseon
  • CIG Financial Services

O2 Tee Sponsors:

  • Aquatek Water Conditioning
  • Archbold Main Stop
  • Arrow Tru-Line
  • Beck Insurance Agency
  • Bill & Marlo Hanak
  • Car 1
  • Creighton Electric
  • Edward Jones – Kim Baker
  • Golf Graphics
  • Ironwood Golf Course
  • Kinsman Propane, Inc.
  • Nelson Lawn Concepts, LLC
  • Ok Electric
  • Rychener Seed
  • Tomahawk Printing, Inc.                       

Thanks to the staff, volunteers, Ironwood Golf Course, Samuel Mancino’s Archbold, sponsors, NHA students and golf participants for making this such a great day.

Photos from the day can be found on our Facebook page by clicking HERE.

We look forward to seeing everyone again next year!

Purse BINGO is back!

Purse BINGO is back!

B 8, I 20, N 35, G 52, O 67…….BINGO!

This is your chance to win beautiful handbags from the designers you love: Coach, Dooney & Bourke, Kate Spade, Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren and more. Our Purse BINGO night is sure to be amazing, fun-filled Girl’s Night Out with all your friends!

Per Ohio Law, you must be 18 to attend and play BINGO!

Date:Thursday, June 26, 2025
Location:Founder’s Hall at Sauder Village, Archbold, Ohio
Time:Doors Open at 5:00pm, Event begins at 6:00pm
Cost:$60 – Single Ticket / $480 – Reserved Table of 8 (includes a mini dessert tray)
Details:Each Purse BINGO admission ticket includes a light meal and two (2) drink tickets good for coffee, lemonade or soft drinks/water and BINGO cards for BINGO play.
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All proceeds from this event will be used towards the purchase of therapy equipment for our clients and students at Sara’s Garden and New Horizons Academy. Sara’s Garden is a recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and is the only facility in the United States to offer Autism Intervention, Conductive Education, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Sensory Integration and Speech-Language Pathology services.

Event will also feature: Raffles, other prices and 50/50. Available for purchase: beer, wine, mixed drinks (must present ID for alcohol).

We have several Partnership opportunities:

Title Partner – $1,000

  • Includes title sponsor signage, program recognition, one (1) reserved VIP table for eight (8) attendees. Each VIP table attendee will also receive a special gift

Event Partner – $500

  • Includes event sponsor signage and program recognition.

Purse Partner – $250

  • Includes purse sponsor signage and program recognition.

For additional information regarding partnership opportunities or registration for the Sara’s Garden Designer Purse BINGO event please contact Tara at 419.335.SARA or via email at tarad@sarasgarden.org.

A Special Thank You from Handcrafted Hope

A Special Thank You from Handcrafted Hope

Our NHA middle and high school students from the Handcrafted Hope Program would like to thank everyone that came out and supported their sale event on March 27. The event was a great success in so many ways. We couldn’t have done it without the amazing support of our staff, students, volunteers, community members, families and friends. 

This year we had a unique item at the sale:  Custom laser cut picture frames. A donor purchased a laser for our program and the kids have had a blast learning to cut and engrave items. For this year’s event, we provided order forms for attendees to purchase their own custom picture frames. The students did a great job of fulfilling those orders.

NHA Still Accepting Applications for 2025-26

NHA Still Accepting Applications for 2025-26

New Horizons Academy (NHA) still has openings for students for the 2025-2026 school year! NHA is finalizing its 2025-2026 student enrollment at all three of its locations, so please get your applications in TODAY!

Currently, NHA serves special education students from over 25 different school districts from across nine Northwest Ohio counties through its regional special education PK-12 school campus at 220 Lawrence Ave. in Wauseon, its Greater Toledo Area Campus at 6201 Trust Dr. in Holland—just off of Airport Highway, and its Career Center and Special Grounds Coffee Shop at 854 S. Shoop Ave. in Wauseon. If you are looking for the right special education placement for your preschool to high school student, a place where your child feels like he or she fits in, consider NHA.

NHA’s Wauseon & Springfield Township Campuses:

  • NEW—Accept Autism Education Plans (AEPs), based upon a medical diagnosis of autism
  • Are regional preschool to 12th grade special education schools
  • Have a 1:2—staff to student ratio
  • Specialize in individualized, personalized education
  • Provide strong academics, community involvement, life skills classes, and vocational training
  • Offer early intervention, (EI) conductive education (CE), sensory integration, occupational therapy (OT) & speech/language pathology (SLP)
  • Participate in the College Credit Plus (CCP) Program
  • Are Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) Schools
  • With individual education plans (IEPs), accept both the Autism & Jon Peterson Scholarships as payment in full.

NHA’s Career Center & Special Grounds Coffee Shop:

  • Prides itself on small classroom sizes (5-8 students)
  • Works with young adults up to age 21
  • Targets functional academics, vocational skills training, and work study placements
  • Provides on-site work study placements through its Special Grounds Coffee Shop including kitchen and food prep, coffee bean flavoring and packaging, counter and customer service work, and maintenance and cleaning
  • Helps transition high school students and special needs young adults into community work study programs
  • Provides job coaching and transportation to community work sites
  • Community work site partners include Ace Hardware, Chief Supermarkets, Triangular Processing, Mahnke Orchards & Lily Creek Farms, Goodwill, Together We Can Make a Difference, Lott Industries, Culver’s, the Toledo Lucas County Public Library, and many others.

Our mission is to help your child achieve the greatest independence possible through early intervention programs, classes, community activities, life skills training, vocational placements, and job coaching.

Steps to Enrollment:

  1. Call the school at 419-335-7272 for more information.
  2. Submit a copy of your child’s IEP or AEP & ETR for review.
  3. Schedule a school tour, interview, and student assessment.
  4. If accepted, complete student enrollment paperwork, and provide proof of residency.
  5. Complete and accept the Autism or Jon Peterson Scholarship.

For more information on New Horizons Academy or to schedule a tour, contact Admissions Coordinator Ronda Rupp at 419-335-7272 or via email at rondar@sarasgarden.org.

Congratulations 2025 Graduates!

Congratulations 2025 Graduates!

New Horizons Academy (NHA) is pleased and proud to announce the members of its 2025 graduating class!

On May 18, nine NHA graduates celebrated their high school accomplishments at NHA’s 2025 graduation ceremony where they received their high school diplomas, certificates, and graduation seals.  

This year was extra special as six of the nine graduates were from our Springfield Campus.

The Class of 2025 included:

  • Cahill Anspaugh
  • Joseph (Gabe) Carter
  • Cierra Flores
  • Bryce Hammond
  • Gavin Leal
  • Richard (Ricky) Murphy
  • Cooper O’Neal
  • Justin (JT) Tanksley
  • Lee Yockey

“We were so excited to celebrate this big day with our graduates and their families,” shared NHA Principal Marty Friess. “Graduation is one of my favorite school events, because we get to celebrate the hard work and accomplishments of our students, as well as, thank their parents for their dedication, commitment, and trust in us…sharing their children with us and letting us help them to grow, succeed, and graduate.  I hope everyone enjoyed this year’s 2025 graduation ceremony.”
 
Congratulations to our 2025 graduates!  

Inaugural A.R.N.I.E. Award Winner

Inaugural A.R.N.I.E. Award Winner

It is so hard to believe that the school year is already over. As we reach the end of the 2024-25 school year, we reflect on both the joys and struggles of the past year.

One sorrow that will remain with us forever was the sudden and unexpected loss of Arnie. Arnie meant so much to so many of us. He was an instrumental part of the entire Sara’s Garden organization, from the hyperbaric center to the school and coffee shop.

To honor Arnie’s devotion and embodiment of the mission of Sara’s Garden, we have established an annual “A.R.N.I.E. Award” for one NHA student who exhibits traits that made Arnie so special.

A = Above & Beyond: Exceeding expectations or going further than what is required or anticipated in a given situation. Putting forth exceptional effort, performance, or commitment that surpasses standard duties or obligations. Doing what needs to be done without being asked.
R = Respectful: Showing consideration, courtesy, or regard for others. It involves treating people with dignity, listening attentively, and behaving in a way that acknowledges their worth or opinion even if you disagree with them.
N = Neighborly: Exhibiting friendly, helpful, or kind behavior typical of a good neighbor. It involves being considerate, cooperative, or supportive in a way that fosters a sense of community or mutual care.
I = Inspirational: Motivating a person to feel hopeful, encouraged, or driven to take positive action or pursue a goal. Uplifting others through our words or actions that spark a desire to improve or achieve something meaningful.
E = Empathetic: Having the ability to understand and share the feelings of another student or staff member. An empathetic person can sense what someone else is going through emotionally and respond with compassion and care.

Each campus nominated students from freshmen (9th grade) to 22+ that they believed exhibit these characteristics.

At this year’s graduation ceremony we announced that the winner of the first annual “A.R.N.I.E. Award” is Cahill Anspaugh from our Springfield campus! Cahill received numerous heartfelt staff nominations, all reiterating the pleasure of working with him since he started at NHA in 2021. We have watched Cahill grow in so many ways and are so proud of his evolution into a confident young adult.

Congratulations Cahill!

A plaque containing the names and campus of each year’s winner will be displayed in the SG lobby with a framed picture of Arnie accompanying it.

What Happens When Meds Don’t Work?

What Happens When Meds Don’t Work?

As a young adult, Jolie enjoyed a busy and active lifestyle. She was working full-time and attending school part-time to be a medical secretary. She and her husband had just purchased their first home and spent all their extra time cleaning and renovating the house, mowing the lawn, planting flowers and having friends and family over for gatherings. She also enjoyed cooking, baking and going on long nature walks. That all changed when she was 24 years old, and her world was turned upside down.

Jolie would suddenly become too dizzy to walk without holding on to something to stabilize her. She lost all her stamina and struggled to walk more than 10 minutes without getting fatigued. She reached a point where she could no longer garden or do yard work. Simple tasks, such as shopping for groceries, would drain her energy for an entire day. Even driving a car for more than a few minutes would completely exhaust her. As her condition continued to deteriorate, Jolie and her husband were forced to sell their home when it became too unsafe for her to navigate stairs without falling.

Jolie was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), an incurable, autoimmune disease that impacts the central nervous system, including the brain and spinal cord. “Sclerosis” refers to scarring of the white matter of the brain and spinal cord. In the case of MS, the immune system, our body’s defense mechanism, mistakenly targets myelin cells, the protective coverings of the brain and spinal cord nerves. This damage to the myelin sheath disrupts the transmission of messages or signals that nerves send across the body, affecting crucial functions such as vision, sensation, and movement.

MS usually strikes young adults like Jolie. Over time, it can render a person unable to write, speak and walk. According to a 2019 study funded by the National MS Society, around 1 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. That number is more than twice what was found in previous studies. Unfortunately, scientists still don’t know the root cause of this disease. However, over the past two decades, extensive international medical research has demonstrated that Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) can play an extremely important role in the treatment of MS. In many European countries, HBOT is now considered an integral part of the MS treatment program, and doctors are recommending it as part of their patients’ care plans.

Unfortunately, the American medical community has been slow to accept HBOT as an alternative therapy for Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Treatment regimens continue to focus on the use of medications and corticosteroids to reduce nerve inflammation, limit the frequency and severity of clinical attacks, slow disability progression and reduce brain and spinal cord lesions. As with any drug therapy, those that are used to treat MS come with a range of potential side effects, ranging from mild irritation at an injection site to potentially serious complications, like liver damage or severe infections.

However, there is scientific evidence to suggest that oxygen treatment does have beneficial effects for MS sufferers. Many MS people report improvements in their overall symptoms and their functional ability. Patients have reported improvements with their ataxia, numbness in their fingers and hands, balance, visual fields, concentration, pain, weakness, and dizziness. Ideally, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy treatments should be initiated as soon as the condition is diagnosed, and before irreversible lesions have become established. This does not mean that patients whose diagnosis was determined more than five years ago will not benefit.

Oxygen is essential to all body tissues, particularly injured ones that require oxygen to heal. Extra oxygenation through HBOT is proven to accelerate the healing process and reduce inflammation. Inflammation in the central nervous system is a signature characteristic of MS, which is one of the reasons why HBOT can slow the progression of the illness. HBOT is also known to boost energy, promote faster recovery from fatigue, reduce pain, and improve concentration and mental clarity, thus alleviating many of the symptoms of MS.

Jolie’s MS treatment journey began like most others in the U.S. with medications. She was placed on numerous drugs for her fatigue and dizziness. None of which worked. She went to physical therapy, but they simply focused on helping her learn how to economize her movements and work at a slow, steady pace. The goal here was only to help manage household tasks and take care of her family. Returning to work and school was impossible.

Jolie learned about HBOT at Sara’s Garden by sheer coincidence. Her daughter had just been diagnosed with Autism and she was looking for a school that specialized in this condition where she could learn, cope, grow and thrive. While touring the school, staff noticed that she was struggling to walk and asked if she was ok. After hearing about her condition, staff informed her about the success Sara’s Garden had in treating individuals who suffer from MS through Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. She scheduled a tour of the hyperbaric center the very next day. Feeling she needed to do whatever she could to take care of her health and her family, she decided to give it a try. To this day, Jolie claims it was the best decision she has ever made.

By the end of the second week of treatments, Jolie began noticing significant improvements in her symptoms. Her dizziness had faded away and her energy levels had increased. Driving was no longer exhausting, and she was able to start taking walks again. Jolie was able to start playing with her children again and even started taking college classes again to complete her degree. Her family said that it was like having the old Jolie back again.

Jolie has said, “The beautiful thing about Sara’s Garden isn’t that it’s faith-based, though that helps, nor that it is a medical treatment that doesn’t pump you full of chemicals. The most beautiful thing – the greatest thing – about Sara’s Garden is that it is a community of people who have hope in miracles, who care about not just you, but anyone who is suffering and needs the kind of help they can give. It is a place where people can connect, uplift, encourage and relate to one another. It’s a place where the greatest treatment isn’t the oxygen therapy – it’s the encouragement, hope and comradery that you find with the staff and other clients.”

Ever since Jolie’s first visit, she has said the same thing repeatedly, with all her heart to anyone who will listen, “Hope grows at Sara’s Garden!” Thanks to Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy at Sara’s Garden, Jolie has her life back. 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.

Grounding our HOPE with GRATITUDE

Grounding our HOPE with GRATITUDE

On Tuesday, December 3, 2024, Sara’s Garden hosted its second Grounding our HOPE with GRATITUDE event. This event was created to share our sincere gratitude for all the support in helping those we serve reach their fullest potential and this year we also celebrated and reflected on 20 years of HOPE, HELP and HEALING. We had over 50 people in attendance and the room was filled with love, laughter and tears.

Those who attended were blessed to hear personal testimonies from past and present Hyperbaric clients, a parent of one of our students and a staff member whose child has been a part of Hyperbaric treatments and Conductive Education therapies. At the end of the event, our NHA Career Center students performed a small piece from their upcoming Christmas program.

We are very blessed to have such a giving and supportive community.

Special thanks to the Hyperbaric clients, NHA students, staff, family, friends, community members & advocates that made this event so special. We also want to thank CIG Financial for the Special Grounds CIG Bull + Bear coffee gifts that each person received.