Meg Farris, WWLTV 5:59 PM. CDT July 31, 2017 NEW ORLEANS, LA. - Hundreds of people from around the world are calling a local doctor in hopes his treatment will help heal brain damage in their children. And now they are asking for your help with a place to stay during treatment. Since the 1980s, two local doctors have been doing research, showing that hyperbaric oxygen treatments can help heal brain damage, especially when done right after the injury. Many people have traveled here for the treatment, but there are still doctors who question its effectiveness. After publicity of the remarkable recovery of a toddler who nearly drowned, the clinic has been inundated with calls for help, but the families coming here for two months, have nowhere to stay. Megan Lasure vividly remembers when her life changed forever last Christmas time. When she stepped away momentarily, leaving her teenager to watch, her youngest of five children, three-year-old Sam, climbed over a locked fence and nearly drowned in a relative's pool. She remembers one of her older son's reaction. "AndI will never ever forget the look on his face and all he said was, 'Mom,' butI knew something was horribly wrong," … Continue reading →

On February 29, 2016, Kristal Carlsons worst nightmare became a reality when her 2-year-old daughter, Eden, fell into the familys backyard pool while she was in the other room. Panic set it when I saw her in the pool, floating face down, Kristal, 40, tells PEOPLE. I pulled her out, but she was cold. I was desperate to revive her, so I started CPR and continued until the ambulance arrived. Kristal and her husband, Chris Carlson, 44, of Fayetteville, Arkansas, were told that their daughter might not make it and if she did, she would have severe brain damage. But Eden, now 3 years old, not only survived shes now thriving thanks to an experimental treatment called hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Its a miracle, says Kristal. Its like a mix of God and science. In the hours after Edens near-fatal drowning, Kristal and Chris also parents to India, 21, August, 19, Canyon, 16, and Roman, 14 watched as 20 hospital staff at Arkansas Childrens Hospital in Little Rock tried to resuscitate her. She was admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit, but her organs were failing, says Kristal. But little by little she improved, and she was on a ventilator for … Continue reading →

Photo: Godofredo A. Vasquez Former Houston dentist Bethaniel Jefferson appears in front of judge Marc Carter in the 228th District Court at the Harris County Courthouse Monday. Jefferson was charged with failing to properly treat a sedated 4-year-old patient who was left with permanent brain damage during a routine procedure. Former Houston dentist Bethaniel Jefferson appears in front of judge Marc Carter in the 228th District Court at the Harris County Courthouse Monday. Jefferson was charged with failing to properly treat a Neveah Hall, 4, is seen in her bed at a specialty and rehabilitation hospital in west Houston Thursday, April 7, 2016, in Houston. She suffered brain damage during a dental procedure. Neveah Hall, 4, is seen in her bed at a specialty and rehabilitation hospital in west Houston Thursday, April 7, 2016, in Houston. She suffered brain damage during a dental procedure. Neveah Hall, 4, is seen in her bed at a specialty and rehabilitation hospital in west Houston Thursday, April 7, 2016, in Houston. She suffered brain damage during a dental procedure. Neveah Hall, 4, is seen in her bed at a specialty and rehabilitation hospital in west Houston Thursday, April 7, 2016, in Houston. She suffered … Continue reading →

Brain damage was diagnosed in 87 percent of donated brains of 202 football players, including all but one of 111 brains of National Football League athletes. This new study, published today in the journal JAMA, is the latest linking dangerous head injuries to football, though the authors note that the true risk may be lower than the results suggest. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, is the term for brain damage that occurs after repeated blunt impact, like head tackles in football. Previous research has shown that CTE is linked to among other things memory loss, depression, and dementia, and in recent years it has become a point of controversy within football. In todays study scientists examined the brains of 202 former football players to see if they showed the physiological signs of CTE. They also talked to relatives to gather more information about the players, like whether they were known to have suffered head trauma in the past, and their athletic records. The players had an average of 15 years playing football, and the median age at death was 66. Eighty-seven percent of the players had CTE. Breaking this down, this included 99 percent (110 of 111) of NFL players, … Continue reading →