Although primarily set up to support those living with MS, the Samson Centre very kindly allows those with other disabilities such as myself to make use of their excellent facilities. I attend the Samson Centre every week for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and it has made an incredible difference to my symptoms.

With the relentless heatwaves this summer The Samson Centre have sadly had no choice but to close the centre on multiple occasions when temperatures became too high inside the building to operate safely. They have recently launched a Keep Cool Campaign with the goal of raising £12,000 to install air conditioning throughout the centre to include the main building and the oxygen annex.

I wanted to do my part to help raise the money to make this possible and so have decided to take part in a sponsored tandem paraglide during my honeymoon in Italy this September. During the flight I will be strapped to an experienced instructor and will have the opportunity to have a go at piloting some basic manoeuvres. All donations are gratefully received!

Read more about how Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy at The Samson Centre has helped me below:

I initially came to the centre for oxygen therapy to help with a severe flare up of my Crohn’s Disease. I was not responding to any medications or treatments and had been losing so much blood that I was hospitalised with aneamia and dehydration.

I heard about oxygen therapy and gave it a go. After a few weeks of almost daily sessions my bowel began to heal, and after a few months of weekly top-up sessions I was officially in remission! I have now been able to come off steroids and immunosuppressants for the first time in several years with my weekly oxygen sessions keeping me in remission on their own.

I also have a condition called Dysautonomia, which affects the functioning of my autonomic nervous system. Since starting oxygen therapy I have experienced far less fainting episodes, and can stand for much longer periods before becoming lightheaded and dizzy, which means relying less on my wheelchair to get around safely.

I have also seen a reduction in neurological symptoms caused by Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) such as less non-epileptic seizures and tics. I am sleeping better, have more energy, and less anxiety.

All of the above is quite life-changing and I would wholeheartedly recommend oxygen therapy at the Samson Centre to those with similar health conditions.

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