Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy & The Hope We Hold: A Survivor’s Perspective
For more than two decades, I’ve lived in the space between what doctors predicted and what I’ve actually achieved. As a severe traumatic brain injury survivor, I’ve learned that recovery is not a straight line — it’s a long, winding road with breakthroughs, setbacks, and moments where you have to fight to believe in your own future.
This week, I toured the Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) facility at the University of South Florida, and I walked away with two very different emotions: hope and hesitation.
The Promise of HBOT — And the Pause Button
HBOT has been gaining attention as a potential therapy for neurological injuries. I’ve heard stories, read studies, and followed research being done with military veterans. Many survivors — myself included — are searching for anything that might help us reclaim more of who we were before injury.
But during my visit, I learned something important: USF’s current HBOT research is only open to individuals with mild to moderate TBI.
As a severe TBI survivor, that hit me harder than I expected.
It reminded me of something survivors rarely say out loud: we are always waiting for the world to catch up to our needs.
I’m hopeful that one day the research doors will open for severe TBI survivors. Until then, I can’t personally endorse HBOT as a proven option for people with injuries like mine — not because I doubt its potential, but because the science simply isn’t there yet for our category.
The Silver Bullet We All Wish Existed
Every survivor I’ve ever met — whether recovering from TBI, stroke, aneurysm, spinal cord injury, or Alzheimer’s — shares a quiet hope: maybe one day something will take me back to who I was before.
HBOT is the latest therapy carrying that hope. But hope must walk hand-in-hand with honesty.
Right now, HBOT is promising. But it is not yet the silver bullet many of us dream about.
And that’s okay. Because recovery is not about going back — it’s about going forward.
Why I’m Building a Clubhouse in Tampa
My HBOT visit reminded me why I’m building something bigger than any single therapy.
I’m working to open a survivor-centered clubhouse in Tampa — a place designed for people living with neurological injuries who need a safe, structured bridge between formal rehab and independent living.
Because here’s the truth most people never see: rehab ends long before recovery does.
Survivors are often discharged while still struggling with memory, fatigue, executive function, emotional regulation, and the invisible challenges that shape daily life. Families don’t always know how to help. Survivors don’t always know where to turn.
The clubhouse will be that bridge — a place where survivors can rebuild skills, confidence, community, and identity.
A place where no one has to wait for a research study to feel seen.
Where HBOT Fits Into the Bigger Picture
HBOT may eventually become a validated option for severe TBI survivors. I hope it does. I’ll be first in line when the research expands.
But until then, my focus is on what I know changes lives:
– Community
– Purpose
– Structure
– Peer support
– A safe place to grow at your own pace
These are the things that carried me from a coma, through paralysis, through rebuilding my life, earning my MBA, writing “Like a Snowflake”, and now creating a space for others to heal.
HBOT may help. But community heals.
Final Thoughts
If you’re a survivor reading this, know this:
You are not behind. You are not forgotten. You are not alone.
We may not have the silver bullet yet, but we have something just as powerful — the determination to keep moving forward, one step at a time.
And soon, in Tampa, we’ll have a place built just for that journey.
References
**Hadanny, A., Abbott, S., Suzin, G., Bechor, Y., & Efrati, S. (2018).** Effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on chronic neurocognitive deficits of post-traumatic brain injury patients: Retrospective analysis. *BMJ Open, 8*(9), e023387. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjope
**Shahid, S., Saeed, H., Ali, M., Hassan, M., Hira, S., Kakakhel, M., Batool, A., Farooq, A., Us Saba, S. N., & Ahmad, M. H. (2025).** Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for neurocognitive deficits following traumatic brain injury: A systematic review and meta-analysis. *Annals of Medicine and Surgery, 87*(11), 7490–7498. https://doi.org/10.1097/MS9.00
**Hadanny, A., Maroon, J., & Efrati, S. (2023).** The efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in traumatic brain injury patients: Literature review and clinical guidelines. *Medical Research Archives, 11*(7.2). https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v