Recent happenings with John!

Over the past couple of months, John has begun hyperbaric medicine treatments. The simple explanation to this is that John is placed in a chamber which is capable of delivering pressurized oxygen to the body. This is a painless procedure and John is able to watch t.v. and communicate throughout each of the treatments. Over the years, this type of therapy has been used for wound treatment and decompression treatment in SCUBA diving accidents and there is some research which supports it's use as a way to help the brain heal as well. Since John suffers from an anoxic brain injury, the theory is that it will help his brain heal faster and also hopefully reverse at least a portion of the symptoms of the dystonia. Since he began treatments, his hands have relaxed a bit and his speech is somewhat clearer and he is able to hold his head up for longer periods of time. Only time will tell how much impact this treatment will have but John's family remains fully committed to trying any and all treatments which might help him get better. He will continue going for two treatments daily and will continue to do so for the next couple of months.

One of the main battles we have begun fighting on John's behalf is that of trying to get him on Medicaid. Up until this point, John's insurance has been paying for his treatment but his recent treatment is not covered and needless to say, the cost for his care is mounting up by the day. We have consistently fought for John to have the best care possible and the only way for this to continue is for him to get on Medicaid and hopefully some of his housing and medication costs will be deferred. Applying for Medicaid is a process that is stressful, tedious and extremely difficult and I can honestly say from recent experience that graduate school was easier! We have essentially had to recreate every financial move made prior to and since John's heart attack and while John was fairly organized in terms of keeping documentation, it is a time consuming and arduous process. We hope to have his application completed and submitted soon and then we will begin the wait to see whether he is approved or not.

We continue to receive amazing support from everyone who knows John and we would like to thank each of you for your unwavering support and prayers.