ORO VALLEY, Ariz. (KGUN) — A $19,000 check was donated to Healing Arizona Veterans (HAV) by the Splash 3 Foundation Jan. 21.
The Splash 3 Foundation is a non-profit focused on giving to charities that need some extra help.
The money was raised at The Splash 3 Foundation Veteran Charities Golf Tournament in December.
HAV uses donations to sponsor the treatment of military veterans suffering from combat related Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
The treatment utilizes Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) which is a pressurized chamber to deliver 100% oxygen, significantly increasing the oxygen levels in the body's tissues.
HAV partners with Dr. Carol Henricks, Neurologist Specialist at NorthStar Neurology, the clinic that provides all the treatment for veterans.
Hugo Frausto, HAV Chairman says the treatment cost is about $20,000 per veteran and the organization covers the bill which includes 80 dives, or in other words, sessions.
“We do all the fundraising, we do all of the contact with veterans. They reach out to us, to our organization. We have a vetting process where we make sure that we have some qualifying criteria. That we make sure that they're a good fit for our program. And then once we've identified those veterans that contact us, we send them here through a referral system and send them to Dr Henricks,” explains Frausto.
Dr. Carol Henricks has been taking care of veterans since 1999, but started to incorporate the use of HBOT in 2004.
She says the HBOT directly aids in healing the brain and also detoxifies the blood vessels, which have been affected by the toxins from being in the war zone and exposure to burn pits.
Dr. Henricks says most of the veterans that come in with PTSD have symptoms of depression, problems with vision and visual focus, double vision. They feel like they can't read anymore because their visual information processing isn't working.
“Their eyes aren't moving together to scan across the page. Having problems with the tension, concentration, memory, they're having problems with sleep, balance, problems feeling dizzy, and emotions, problems with anxiety, depression, irritability, even rage, attacks, all of those things,” Dr. Henricks explains.
So how do they know the technology works?
“We do a cognitive screen so we know we can measure the fact that attention, concentration and memory have improved. And we have a test called an MRI DTI NeuroQuant that's done at SimonMed Imaging and that can show us the improvements in their brain imaging. So we know it's helping. We have the objective proof that it is helping you,” says Dr. Henricks.
MRI DTI NeuroQuant is a combination of MRI, Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), and NeuroQuant software, which is used to analyze brain structure.
There’s also a test to see if the patient’s visual function has improved.
She says HBOT is the only treatment that has ever been shown to heal a brain injury condition and the evidence speaks for itself.
Local army veterans, Ryan McDowell and Owen Lonsdale are currently using HBOT and say it has drastically improved their quality of life.
McDowell served as a Special Forces medic in the army from 1991 to 2004.
He says his experience in and even after the military caused damage to his brain.
“I mean every weapon system we have is over pressure. So recoilless rifles, bombs getting dropped close to you. I did the invasion into Iraq in 03. So we had a lot of ordinance that was shot at us and that we were dropping as well. Did two trips there, and then got out 04, but then started contracting,” explains McDowell.
He says while he’s been in Tucson, his body hasn’t been responding very well.
“Like not being able to stand up, not being able to say words, weird stuff,” McDowell said.
He has completed 74 dives so far and he’s noticed the change in his body, especially his nose.
“The first week I started smelling. I had my top off my Jeep in Tucson. I was driving home, I was like oh my God I can’t believe the smells. They’re everywhere. I mean I couldn’t smell anything in 10 years,” describes McDowell.
He says his ocular migraines also went away, isn’t having anymore vertigo issues, and his memory is much better.
“There were conversations I was having with my wife, and she'd be like, hey, we talked about this yesterday. And I'm like, I have no crumb that we talked about that at all. That's gone away. So a lot sharper,” McDowell says.
Lonsdale was only in the army for one year, from 2003-2004 because of a traumatic incident that sent him home.
“Last time I was blown up, gun shock 2004 in Fallujah and I went down a long road with the VA neurology,” Lonsdale said
He said his TBI symptoms included bad migraines, ocular migraines, aphasia, and word recognition.
After getting in touch with HAV and NorthStar Neurology, he says the results have been incredible after about 70 dives.
“When your loved ones around you definitely notice the positive changes, it’s a no- brainer,” McDowell said. “My reading recognition retention has gotten faster also.”
In addition to HBOT, it's also very important to have good nutrition, to monitor hormone and vitamin levels, to exercise, to get your sleep, and to not use alcohol, tobacco and other substances.
McDowell and Lonsdale hope other veterans who suffer from PTSD and TBI will get in the chamber.
“This place has been a godsend. Getting in touch with Healing Arizona Veterans and NorthStar Hyperbaric, the results have been great,” Lonsdale said.
Frausto is also a veteran who participated in HBOT. He served in the Marine Corps for 10 years from 2004 to 2014.
He noticed something wasn’t right with his brain when he couldn’t focus in school.
“I was finishing up my degree at at ASU, and there was a couple classes that I failed because I would read some of the material and I would forget it. I felt really just dumb.I felt like, man, there's something wrong with me,” Frausto said.
But after completing the treatment, Frausto saw a big change.
“I was able to read through books, I was able to do all my homework. And it was amazing to be able to have that function in my life, something simple, like reading back,” Frausto continued.
Frausto thanks the Splash 3 Foundation and to everyone who has donated.
The funds don’t just help the veterans, but also their families and everyone in their lives.
“Because most of these guys are married, they have kids, and that impact goes on to them as well, because now they've got their dad that's restored, that can be present with them. You've got employers out there. They now have a fully functioning individual that has all those qualities that veterans bring to the table. So I think the impact that that's going to have is immeasurable, because it really does contribute on a much higher level,” Frausto said.
If you are a veteran that suffers from TBI or PTSD, see how HAV can assist you.
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