George sustained trauma to the right side of his head, which rendered him unconscious, and because of this he was unable to take advantage of the air pocket. He was under water for about 8-10 minutes. Police and emergency rescue personnel rescued him and he was revived at the scene. He was then life-flighted to a local hospital in the Houston Medical Center where he was stabilized.  All the while telling us George was brain dead, and then when that didn’t pan out they said he would be a vegetable and succumb to an infection or organ failure.

He spent the next 7 months in and out of ICU's, re-hab hospitals and such until he finally came home. Needless to say, it's been a very trying and devastating experience for Mom and Dad and the rest of the family but we thank the Lord every day that he is still with us and we still have hope that there will be a miracle in his life...

On the last day George was in rehab he spoke 3 words, “Mom, George and No”.  He was discharged anyway with the prognosis that he would remain in a vegetative state.  That was in April of 98, in October I came home with helium balloons and my hands full and let the balloons go.  One floated near George and when I looked over I saw George pulling on the ribbon, tucking under his contracted arm until the balloon was at eye level.  At that moment I knew George was very much in this body that just needed help to regain function.

We’ve come a long way in 6-1/2 years since George’s horrible accident and yet I know that there will always be people who will think he’s no better off today than on that dreadful day.   One thing I knew for sure from the beginning was that my son was in there, somewhere locked up inside his outer body.  Thankfully today with the help of mild hyperbaric treatments, what is locked up inside is starting to emerge a little at a time.

 

In August 2002 (4+ years post accident) we discovered HDOT and with it came little miracles that I believe are a direct result of this treatment.  After doing 22 treatments at a clinic, we purchased a soft-sided portable chamber for home use.  The clinic was too far and other factors in our personal daily lives did not permit us to continue traveling to the clinic.  I know that there is much debate over the efficacy of the soft-sided chambers vs. the hard shells with 100% oxygen, to which I cannot prove or disprove.  All I can do is report what we have seen in George since we started using the soft-sided portable chamber.

 

George speaks all the time now, this just started last November.  As of late he’s been initiating conversation, letting us know that he is hungry or simply saying hi mommy when I first walk into his room in the morning.  Every day he expresses his will and his needs. His feeding tube is out and he’s eating by mouth, not simply pureed food but chewing and drinking with a straw.  He’s able to reach and grasp the railing of his hospital bed and pull himself to a side position. 

 

George still has a long way to go, but at least now we know that this treatment will continue to benefit him and look forward to every day expecting new evidence of his recovery.

 

Pat Flores-George's mom