Hyperbaric Hope

Hi my name is Kim Timperley and my dad is Rob Smith. As most of you will know Dad was diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease (MND), also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig Disease, back in July 2013 with first symptoms showing up fifteen months before that. This disease is terminal and in the bulk of cases the prognosis is 2-5 years from the time of the first symptoms appearing.

Dad has been using alternative methods to try and slow the progression of the condition and to a reasonable degree has held it at a slow decline. For Dad to take his alternative therapy to the next level he wants to try what one of his contacts (another person with ALS (PALS)), Mr Kim Cherry in Idaho, has had some very good success with - and that is a personal Hyperbaric chamber.

Kim Cherry's story briefly is this:

“ I was diagnosed with both Lower Motor Neuron and Upper Motor Neuron, or Bulbar ALS.

I recognize that this insidious disease is different for most everyone that falls under its curse. The primary challenges I faced, were number one, my ability to breath, and number two, my ability to swallow, both Bulbar issues. I simply could not get enough oxygen, and felt I was slowly suffocating most of the time, but especially at night when lying down, sometimes taking 20 to 30 minutes to work my way down from a propped up sitting position. I was choking on liquids, and even on my own saliva. My lungs were filling with fluid. My right calf had atrophied considerably, and I had lost most of the strength in my right leg. I had severe drop foot, and my ankles would turn at the slightest miss-step. Though I could still walk, my balance was shot. I was losing my ability to speak. I felt like I simply could not get enough air to make the words come out. Just a few sentences would start a severe coughing spell. Walking more than a couple dozen steps required a breather, and a simple flight of stairs was daunting, requiring a mid-climb rest and a couple minutes recovery at the top. Also, the cold air seemed almost to shut my breathing functions down. A short walk in cold weather, such as from a restaurant to the handicap parking resulted in a massive coughing spell, which required several minutes reprieve before I could even start the car.

The treatments with the ozone and hyperbarics originally took from 4 to 6 hours a day. I gave myself an ozone IV three times a week for the first two months, then cut back to two times a week through most of 2012. There is a lot of information on the internet about both. Our studies include the writings of Doctor Paul Harch, an MD from Louisiana whose specialty is hyperbarics, and others.”

Kim's improvement has been phenomenal. He has started playing golf again, riding a cart, in March of 2012.

Kim credits most of his major improvement to his oxygen therapy both Ozone and the Hyperbaric treatments. While there is no guarantee that this would work for Dad there is a very good chance of some significant improvements based on what he has done so far.

Dad has been using Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide H2O2 which turns to oxygen once it hits the blood stream but he is probably at the limit of strength he can use it at.

We would love to be able to purchase a hyperbaric chamber from the States for Dad but we cannot do it alone.

Dad's old Army mate Blair Corlett suggested a fund to raise the money and this is where I come into the picture.

I have started a “Givealittle” fund along with Fred Daniels, an independent signatory, to try and raise the $22000 needed for us to purchase and import the chamber.

Any monies over and above the required amount would be donated equally to the Hospice Southland and the Fallen Heroes Trust.

The chamber would be donated to the Hospice Southland for use once Dad has passed.

We have to emphasise that there is no guarantee this will work, BUT we want to give Dad every chance we can to extend his life and to give him a better quality of life while he is with us.

This is a heartfelt request to all his old Brothers in Arms and anyone else that knows him or would like to support him, to donate, using the Rob Smith Give a little fund to make this a reality.

I thank you all for reading this and for your donation.