Life Can Change in a Flash

Many families gather in the kitchen to spend time together. Rarely do we consider that the kitchen might be the most dangerous room in the house. According to the U.S. Fire Administration cooking equipment, most often a range or stovetop, is the leading cause of reported home fires and home fire injuries in the United States. Aron had made French fries for his family more times than he could count and had never had an issue… until a summer day in August that changed his life.

This time started out like any other… Aron poured some fresh vegetable oil from a brand new bottle into the pan on his glass top stove. As he began to slowly heat the oil he covered the pan. A few minutes later he lifted the lid to check on his oil and noticed that it was beginning to smoke. Not wanting to burn his new oil he began to move the pan across the stove. As he was moving the pan over to the cool side of the stove it flashed out and burst into flames.

Oil erupted from the pan and covered both of his hands. He heard sizzling sounds as his hands began to burn. Aron’s skin began bubbling up and melting off his hands as the oil ate its way all the way down to his tendons. He immediately ran both hands under cold water and called for help.

Aron’s surgeons said that the burns on his hands were quite severe. They commented that the extent of the grafting that needed to be done to repair the damage was extreme and very rare. Aron spent a full two weeks in the hospital burn unit until his hands were even able to be operated on. Following the grafting procedure to repair his hands Aron spent another two weeks in the burn unit recovering from the surgery.

Doctors cautioned Aron that he would probably not regain the full range of motion back in his fingers and that his hands would most likely function like two claws.

After being discharged from the hospital, Aron went home to begin the painful road to recovery. The medications he was given did little to mask the pain that he felt from the damaged nerves in his hands. Only a few days after returning home, Aron was in excruciating pain. His family brought him to Sara’s Garden to see if Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy would aid him in his recovery.

As the family explained what had happened to Aron, he rocked back and forth and looked as if he would pass out. The pain and nerve damage was so severe that Aron’s brain began sending messages all over his body that his feet were in pain as well. It got to the point that he could not walk without shoes on his feet. He even had to go to bed and sleep with his shoes on.

Shortly after that, Aron began HBOT treatments at Sara’s Garden. Each time he received a treatment he commented that his pain level had diminished. After completing only 17 HBOT treatments, Aron is beginning to feel like himself again. The graft sites are growing hair and are demonstrating intact skin integrity. His hands are able to perform near normal opening and closing grasps and all of his open wounds have healed.

Each time Aron would return to the hospital for his routine checkups his therapists were amazed at how fast his burns and grafts were healing. They claimed that his recovery was in the top 1% of the cases they had seen.

As he met and talked to other clients in the burn center’s waiting room, they marveled at his progress compared to that of their own. Patients who had been burned over a year prior to Aron lamented the fact that they had not experienced the level of healing that Aron had received in only one short month. Even more, the other burn patients envied his lack of pain.

Thanks to Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy at Sara’s Garden, Aron has his 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.

‘Never’ Should be a 4 Letter Word

January 1, 2012
8:04 am
Success Stories: CE, Success Stories: HBOT

Joshua was born at only 26 weeks. Doctors were unable to determine any cause for the premature delivery. Shortly after his birth, he experienced a Grade 4 intraventricular hemorrhage. This prolonged internal bleeding resulted in severe trauma and damage to his brain. According to the doctors, Joshua would never survive.

In what would mark the first in a long list of overcoming ‘nevers’ placed on him by others, Joshua lived. Due to issues with his biological parents’ home life, Joshua became a ward of the state, placing further uncertainty on his long term survival. Following Joshua’s successful fight to recover from his traumatic birth, the foster care system was told that he would be a vegetable for the rest of his life. They needed to understand that there were no positive expectations for Joshua’s life. Any prospective foster parents would need to realize the severity of his condition and come to terms with what his life most certainly would and would not be.

Joshua was given a list of ‘nevers’… things he could not, and would not ever accomplish. He would never walk. He would never talk. He would never eat on his own. He would never be able to take care of himself. He would need drugs to control his condition for the rest of his life. He would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. As he grew, no one would be able to take care of him on their own. He should be put in a home that would be equipped to meet his countless needs.

What a sad, limiting prediction for life. Thankfully, Joshua’s story doesn’t end with the ‘nevers’.

Joshua’s condition has since been diagnosed as Hemiplegia, a severe form of Cerebral Palsy. The damage to his brain caused him to have weakness and decreased control of the right side of his body as well as obvious developmental, physical and speech delays. Joshua has been in occupational, physical and speech therapy for most of his young life. At the age of 3, Joshua was adopted. By this time he was able to speak. While he had a limited vocabulary, he was able to accomplish one more thing that he had been told he would never do.

Just prior to his 4th birthday, Joshua began taking Conductive Education classes at Sara’s Garden. He was still unable to walk without the assistance of another person, wheelchair, or walker. After spending six months in the CE program at Sara’s Garden, Joshua was walking and playing with his brothers and friends. Through much hard work he has been able to overcome more and more of the hurdles that were originally said to be impossible!

At 4½ years of age, Joshua began having seizures. According to the doctors, his test results showed that the seizures were coming from the area of his brain that had been most damaged at birth. After spending 3 long days in the hospital, his family was told that there was nothing more that could be done for Josh except to medicate him. Not wanting to accept this fate, Joshua began receiving Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy treatments at Sara’s Garden.

His family noticed changes taking place in Joshua immediately. This shy, quiet little boy was emerging out of his shell. After completing a round of 40 HBOT treatments Joshua is seizure free. Additionally, his focus and awareness has improved, his vocabulary has expanded and the use of the right side of his body has increased.

Thanks to Conductive Education and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy at Sara’s Garden, Joshua has a much brighter future. The list of ‘nevers’ that he was given is gone. He has successfully checked off each and every limitation that was placed on him at birth.

No matter what you’ve been told, there is hope… and Sara’s Garden can help you find it.

We Put Athletes Back in Action

Unfortunately, injuries are a common occurrence in sports. Sports injuries can be broadly classified as either traumatic or overuse injuries. These injuries range from bruises and muscle strains, to fractures and head injuries. Sara’s Garden has had great success in treating injured athletes.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is the ultimate natural therapy. It increases the amount of oxygen delivered to cells in order to stimulate the body’s natural healing processes, increase athletic stamina and endurance, speed up injury and surgery recovery and strengthen the immune system.

Below are just a few of the sports injury success stories that we’ve had here at Sara’s Garden:

16 Year Old Male – Torn ACL A football player tore his ACL mid season. After undergoing surgery he was told that he would be out six months, effectively ending both his football and basketball seasons. After only 18 HBOT treatments, he was back to running and working out and did not have to miss the basketball season.
17 Year Old Male – Stress Fracture A football player suffered a stress fracture to his foot in a preseason scrimmage. He was told that he would be out six weeks, almost his entire senior year. One week later, after only 6 HBOT treatments, he was back in action and did not miss a single game.
14 Year Old Female – Hairline Fracture and Dislocation A soccer player fractured her clavicle and suffered a sternal dislocation during an intramural basketball game. She was told that she would be out one month and would miss the end of her soccer season. After only 1 week and 7 HBOT treatments she was cleared by her doctor and allowed to finish out her soccer season.
17 Year Old Female – Stress Fracture A multisport athlete suffered a stress fracture to her shin during an off-season basketball camp. After sitting out while using crutches and a walking boot for over 7 weeks, she was released and began training for cross country. However, every time she ran she experienced pain and significant swelling in her leg. After only 6 HBOT treatments the pain and swelling disappeared and she was able to resume competing. She continued to undergo HBOT treatments periodically for the remainder of the season to recover from races quicker and boost her endurance.
18 Year Old Male – Hip Flexor Injury A multisport athlete injured his hip flexor during baseball season at the end of his junior year. The injury did not improve and carried over into preseason workouts for his senior year of football. By the time of his first game he was barely able to run and did not know if he would be able to compete. After beginning HBOT treatments immediately following his first game he was able to continue playing and did not have to miss a single game while recovering from his injury. He went from not being able to run to being the first person down the field on kickoff coverage breaking the opponent’s wedge.
18 Year Old Male – Dislocation A football player dislocated his shoulder near the end of his junior year causing him to miss the final 4 weeks of the season. He underwent surgery after the season was over to repair the damaged shoulder. The injury reappeared in warmups just prior to the first game of his senior year and caused him to have to miss the game. He began HBOT treatments following the first game and was able to continue playing the entire season without missing any additional games.
17 Year Old Female – Severe Ankle Sprain A volleyball player suffered a severe sprain to both sides of her ankle after landing awkwardly following a block. She experienced tremendous swelling and bruising and was forced to use crutches as she was not able to put any weight on her foot. She was told that she would miss the remainder of the regular season as well as any tournament action. After only 4 HBOT treatments her swelling was reduced and she was able to begin putting weight back on her ankle. After a total of 10 treatments she was able to return to action and compete in her team’s post season tournament.

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.

What Happens When You’re Told There’s No Cure?

When you’re 27 years old you feel like you have the rest of your life ahead of you. You never expect to hear that you have a life threatening condition. In July 2011, Amanda’s world was turned upside down when she discovered that the odd symptoms she had been experiencing for almost a year were the onset of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), a debilitating disease for which there is no known cure.

Multiple Sclerosis affects the ability of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord to communicate with each other effectively. The body’s immune system attacks and damages its own nerves. When the nerves are damaged they can no longer effectively conduct signals. Almost any neurological symptom can appear with the disease, and often progresses to physical and cognitive disability. After experiencing a buzzing sensation in her tailbone for several months, Amanda woke up one morning numb from the middle of her waist down.

The next five months were tenuous and Amanda’s symptoms continued to progress. When she rubbed her feet together it felt as if there were spikes stabbing at her. Her back would go numb after taking a shower as the nerves became confused and sent improper signals to her brain. The numbness in her body made it difficult to sit at work all day. She would need to come home and lay on the couch on her stomach all night in order to remain comfortable. She began experiencing a sensation called binding, where her waist legs, feet and toes felt as if they had ropes and wires wrapped around them, constricting tighter and tighter.

By the time Amanda was finally diagnosed with MS, walking was difficult and she was no longer able to drive a car as she could not feel her feet on the pedals. She began the standard treatment for MS by receiving steroids in hopes of reducing her symptoms. The steroids made her feel weird and caused her mind to race. Unfortunately, after a long week in the hospital, her symptoms had not improved as well as had been hoped and she went home feeling worse than before treatments began. Amanda’s energy level began to drop and extreme fatigue became difficult to overcome. She could no longer work and had to go on short term disability.

Thankfully Amanda’s story doesn’t end there. She began researching additional treatment options and discovered Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT). Over the past two decades, international medical research has demonstrated that HBOT can play an extremely effective role in the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis. In many European countries, HBOT is now considered an integral part of the MS treatment program. In Britain alone, over 10,000 MS patients have received HBOT from the more-than 60 centers dedicated to treating Multiple Sclerosis.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy should begin as soon as practical and preferably before irreversible lesions have become established. This does not mean that patients with long-term MS will not benefit; but it does mean that time is a factor. In a recent publication in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine researchers demonstrated significant objective improvements in 70% of patients treated.

After completing a round of 40 HBOT treatments Amanda is beginning to feel like herself again. Feeling is returning to her legs and feet. She is walking independently and has started driving again. Her energy has increased dramatically and her family is amazed at the changes they have seen take place in her. She has returned to work and is ready to resume her normal life.

Thanks to Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy at Sara’s Garden, Amanda 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.

Hollywood Comedy Becomes Frightening Reality

Sony Pictures’ 50 First Dates is a romantic comedy starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. Barrymore’s character, Lucy, has short term memory loss due to a brain injury she sustained in a car accident. She loses her memory every single night and can’t remember anything that has happened since her accident. It’s supposed to be a funny movie… but what would happen if this Hollywood comedy were to become your frightening reality?

Joleen was an active, healthy, 30 year old mother of four, including a four month old baby. However, due to an incorrect combination of medications she received in a hospital emergency room she suffered hypoxia and her blood oxygen level plummeted to 23%. She turned blue and became unresponsive. Doctors rushed to revive her.

When she awoke it became apparent that she had suffered an injury to her brain due to a lack of oxygen. She had completely lost her short term memory. Every five minutes her brain would recycle and she would have no memory of where she was or why she was there. People were unfamiliar. She felt as if a fog had descended on her and she couldn’t find her way out. It was a hopeless, terrifying experience.

After four long, frustrating days she was released from the hospital. Her family was told there was nothing more that could be done for her. They would simply need to wait and see if her memory would ever come back.

Thankfully, Joleen’s husband, Juan, wasn’t in a waiting mood and he immediately began calling for help. Their family doctor told them about Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and advised them to take Joleen to Sara’s Garden as soon as possible. That’s all Juan needed to hear. That afternoon they were on their way to Wauseon for treatments.

When they arrived, Joleen was vacant, distant and totally unsure of her situation. She was scared, confused and could not engage anyone in conversation. Juan cried as he recounted their last five days. Joleen asked him why he was crying and if she had done anything wrong. Later she commented that she felt as if “None of the parts of my brain were touching each other.”

By the end of her first treatment she looked at her attending nurse and said she felt as if a fog was lifting off of her mind. She began remembering things. Juan was amazed at the change he was seeing take place in his wife right before his eyes as he watched and listened to her on the monitors.

Five days and eight treatments later, Joleen is a completely different person than she was when she first walked through our doors… physically, intellectually and emotionally. She is now alert and able to focus on her surroundings. She is able to carry on a conversation fluidly without pausing and struggling to consider every single answer or comment. She is able to smile… and laugh… and joke with people she comes in contact with.

Thanks to Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy at Sara’s Garden, Joleen has her life back… and her family has their wife and mother back.

There is hope… for this and many other conditions. HBOT is treatment without drugs… without surgery… without pain.

You Don’t Know What You’ve Got Till It’s Gone

As the saying goes, “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.” Steve lived an active lifestyle and enjoyed many different outdoor activities. He was an avid bicycle rider, loved working out and enjoyed shooting his bow at the local club. All that changed in 2008.

After dealing with uncontrolled Diabetes and the side effects from various prescription drugs for a number of years, Steve suffered neurological damage and collapsed. Doctors diagnosed him with Ataxia. Ataxia is described as a lack of order and consists of gross lack of coordination of muscle movement. For the next three years, Ataxia has caused a variety of neurological deficits for Steve such as impaired balance, lack of energy, poor coordination, nightly body tremors and memory deterioration.

Steve longed to be able to do all of the things that he had enjoyed for so many years. To his dismay, he was not able to any longer. He sold his bike, cancelled his membership to the club and began trying to cope with life without his physical activities and exercises.

Doctors placed Steve on a number of medications that were unsuccessful in treating him so he and his wife, Linda, began researching other forms of treatment. It was during this time that they discovered Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) at Sara’s Garden.

When Steve first came to Sara’s Garden his movement was slow and deliberate and he needed the assistance of a cane in order to make it from his car to the building. His speech was slow and he looked to his wife to assist with many of the questions as he simply could not recall any of the answers. They requested treatments in the late morning and early afternoon as Steve could not get out of bed before 10:30 a.m. and took a long time to get ready.

After his first day of HBOT, Steve was out of bed and showered by 7:30 and began making coffee and reading the newspaper. A few treatments later Steve stated that, “It feels like a fog is lifting off of me.” He was able to think much clearer and his memory began to return.

By the end of his first week of treatments, Steve began walking without the use of his cane. His gait became much more confident and he began walking with much more purpose. When he needed to bend over to tie his shoes or towel off after showering, he no longer had to hold onto something to maintain his balance. The nightly tremors that they lived with for so long went away and Steve began sleeping through the night.

After three weeks of treatments Steve now has plans to start getting back into all of the activities he loved so much. Since beginning his HBOT treatments his blood sugar levels have never spiraled out of control and he has been able to reduce the medications he has been taking. He feels great and now has the confidence in his body’s abilities to resume his active lifestyle.

Thanks to Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy at Sara’s Garden, Steve now has his life back… and his family has their husband, father and grandfather back.

There is hope… for this and many other conditions. HBOT is treatment without drugs… without surgery… without pain.