08/11/2024
Ten years ago on Christmas Eve, Steve McDonnell collapsed.
Both his carotid arteries had split, and clots shut off certain blood flow to his brain.
Time was running out.
Steve was rushed to a hospital, and an hour later, a thrombectomy procedure not yet approved in the United States removed three of his clots.
His left side, fully paralyzed from shoulder to ankle immediately by the stroke, regained enough mobility that he could walk with a pronounced limp, with assistance, four days later.
He could speak normally, but what remained of his mental skills at age 58 was seriously in doubt.
The next ten years became a slow-paced, uncharted pursuit.
His brain scans (below) showed a black, lifeless tissue in his right temporal lobe, part of the brain that governs higher cognitive skills.
But look closer — those surrounding areas of blue and green, still sustained by limited circulation, tell a different story: one of possibility.
The team at Aviv Clinic noticed this, and by the 40th of his 60 HBOT chamber sessions, Steve sensed a quickening metabolism.
“𝘐 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺,” he said. “𝘔𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦, 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦."
Ten years later, Steve is still here.
He doesn't drag his leg anymore (except when he’s tired), and he's never used a cane or other support.
“𝘉𝘺 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯, 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘯𝘦𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯.”
As medicine reaches beyond previously known limits, lives are being transformed in ways we’re only beginning to understand.