My name is Tina Hecker and my husband’s name is Tim. I am going to give you a little background on Tim’s journey since January 2008. Tim was in Iraq and was exposed to multiple IED explosions from Jan 08 through May 08. During January, one of the explosions threw him into the driver’s lap of the vehicle he was riding in. There was a second significant explosion at the end of March. The vehicle in front of him was hit with a catastrophic explosion, eventually killing all in the vehicle. Tim was close enough to this explosion that he felt the concussion waves, saw stars, became disoriented, and lost a large portion of time following the explosion.
His mannerisms changed significantly by December 08. He eventually didn’t understand that he was supposed to get up daily and go to work, without being told to do so. He didn’t remember where we got married, how to get to work, how to get home, particulars about our children, or who he worked with. He couldn’t even remember whether he had eaten during a day or not. The VA in Syracuse put Tim on meds for depression, not sleeping, etc. He couldn’t remember a conversation that had happened 5 minutes ago.
In March 2009, some things happened that have changed our lives drastically. I saw an article online, did a little research, made a few phone calls, and found some wonderful people who have given Tim his life and career back. Dr. Paul Harch, his wife Juliette, and their staff are absolutely wonderful people. I will give you contact information. Tim was accepted into a pilot study that shows how hyperbaric oxygen therapy helps soldiers who have PTSD and/or TBI. Tim fell into both categories. I first want to explain this treatment to you. It’s very simple. Tim takes a multi vitamin and vitamin C daily while being treated. We go to the office for a one hour treatment in the morning and one again in the afternoon. He lies on a stretcher, which then slides into a large tube. He’s sealed into this tube, the sides are open so you can see what’s going on around you, there is a phone on the outside so there is always to communicate with someone, and he watches movies while he’s in the tube. As he is in the tube, the tube then becomes filled with Oxygen. That’s it, just oxygen. The pure concentration of oxygen works to regenerate blood flow to the damaged areas of Tim’s brain. After 5 weeks and 40 treatments, Tim’s IQ went up 18 points. He no longer uses a GPS to get everywhere he has to go, he no longer uses a PDA, he remembers who most of our family and friends are, he no longer takes any medicines for depression or anything else, his carpentry abilities have returned, and he basically remembers a lot of his life. He still has moments where he gets confused. There are times when he still forgets little things, but overall, he’s been given his life back. It is also important to remember that the treatment has different affects on different people. We decided to take a chance, and trust in Dr. Harch and HBOT, and in return–Tim has been given his life back. There is no greater gift.
Dr. Harch is associated with Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. If it sounds like something you might be willing to take a chance on, please call them! I can’t stress enough to you how much of a difference this could make on your quality of life, or your family’s life with you.
If you have access to the internet and know how to work your way around, you can google Dr. Paul Harch or HBOT, and you will find all the information you need.
Sincerely,
Tina and Tim Hecker
