July 20, 2009 - Doing well and our current exploration . . .

Hello all. Hope this email finds you all well. Erik is doing really well this Summer. We have set goals for him which he appears to be steadily working towards. He has a speech/feeding therapist who has been coming to the house to work with him on a weekly basis. This has been great and he just loves it! On the "news" front . . . recently, we have had several people ask us if we have considered Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) for Erik. We have read some available information, communicated with physicians, and are actively exploring this treatment option for Erik. As you may know, we have also explored stem cell infusion. Stem Cell Infusion appears to have risks that could possibly be significant for Erik causing us to have many questions about this treatment option. We are now wondering if Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) may be what Erik needs to boost his improvement? Here is a link to a website that has information and even videos that may be of interest: http://www.hbot.com/. Here is a summary of what we understand as of now: • Treatment is safe and the risk is pressure similar to what you would experience when flying. • Erik appears to be a good candidate because he is responsive, shows emotions, and is progressing to name a few reasons. • Patients in much worse condition have seen fantastic results from HBOT. • There are indications that stem cells are generated/released during therapy from bone marrow during treatment. • Treatments are administered in “blocks” usually comprised of 30 to 40 1-1 ½ hour sessions. We would like to ask for your prayers as we continue to research this treatment option for Erik. We welcome any and all feedback from you. Although HBOT is not yet being used on a large scale for improving neurological conditions, we believe with the progress Erik is making that this could give him a needed boost allowing him to progress more rapidly. Thanks in advance for lifting Erik and us in prayer. Love in Christ, Erik's Family