CityView Magazine

military ,, Fayetteville Hyperbarics S Oxygen therapy offers relief from combat injuries By sara cooke he's locked and grounded." Safety officer John Mercado has just slid a young lady named Jamie off of a gurney and into a long tube-shaped chamber. He clamps the chamber lid shut and respiratory therapist, Donnette, monitors Jamie's well being on a computer screen, while the patient herself enjoys an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond on the TV suspended above her. Jamie is suffering from traumatic brain injury after her involvement in a car crash and is undergoing a method of treatment called hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) at a new clinic in Fayetteville. John and his wife Denise are coowners of Fayetteville Hyperbarics. They have a personal investment in alternative methods of healing. Originally from New York, the couple settled down in Fayetteville after John, a retired Army captain, spent some time at Fort Bragg. Their older son currently serves in the U.S. Army Special Forces, but their younger son, Danny, passed away in 2006 at the age of 24 after a lifelong battle with meningitis. It was at this time that the family began looking for answer. This meant they spent a lot of time conversing with parents of kids with diagnoses similar to Danny's. What they found were the remarkable success stories of HBOT helping to heal those with chronic illnesses such as autism and cerebral palsy. After a great deal of research, the Mercados opened their clinic's doors in March 2013, and soon found that the Bragg area is the ideal location for helping not only those with disabilities, chronic illnesses and injuries, but also a unique group: the military. In fact, there are over 50 conditions treated internationally with HBOT, from ADD to Chrohn's disease, but perhaps those with the most local significance are conditions such as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and TBI that run rampant throughout the military. Local veterans once traveled to Raleigh or even Charlotte for HBOT treatments, Denise notes, before the Mercados' office opened. Now, they can find relief closer to home. Nine of the 50 patients treated since March are service members. "We're military serving military," said Denise, smiling as she describes the rest of their staff. Rounding out the clinic's team are medical director, retired National Guard colonel, Dr. Robert Ferguson, Karen Estep, clinic director and wife of a retired soldier and Donnette Webber, respiratory therapist and the only staff member who is not military. When a couple of Bragg area Green Beret vets were looking for relief, concerned members of the Green Beret Foundation called Denise personally and made the decision to help foot the bill for local Green Beret to undergo HBOT. Denise noted there has been talk in Congress for the past five years about potential federal funding toward HBOT treatments for military with PTSD and TBI. Such funding could be a game changer. Cost is where many patients may find an issue, considering a full course of treatment can run upwards of $100,000. Also, bear in mind that insurance companies typically only help with CityViewNC.com | 37

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