Premier Hyperbarics

SHANNON AND BRIAN PRIDMORE

Shannon (BA Psychology UNCC) – a certified Hyperbaric Technician and an experienced patient coordinator for hyperbaric clinics, who has trained extensively under Robert (Bob) Sands – opened the first Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Clinic in the greater Charlotte area in 2008. Brian, a retired firefighter with 26 years of service, holds an NC EMT certification (since 1986), a National CHT in Hyperbaric Medicine and a Safety Director Certification in Hyperbarics. Shannon and Brian are parents to four beautiful daughters … Haley, Raegan, Gracie and Jenna.

The Pridmores interest in hyperbarics began from a need to assist Gracie (see story below), and, after using the Sands Series III for nearly a decade, decided to devote their time to introducing their “favourite” hyperbaric chamber to the wider medical community – and Premier Hyperbarics was founded.

They realize how important it is to educate the public, doctors, nurses, parents, and caregivers about HBOT, because they know that it is a life-changing therapy. Their goal is to help spread HBOT across the world by distributing the Sands Series III.

Shannon says about the chambers:

“We chose the Sands Series III (SSIII) over other monoplace chambers we have used in treatment with Gracie, because it is “roomy”, caregivers can go in comfortably with patient, and most importantly, because of our utmost respect and trust in Bob Sands.
We want to promote Sands chambers because we know that they are durable, comfortable, easily operated, and easily maintained. They are much more cost-effective than any other chamber on the market. The SSIII chamber is, by far, the BEST in the industry.”

 

GRACIE’S STORY

Gracie was born on April 25, 2002 and was an irritable baby who spent every waking hour crying. At the age of four months she was diagnosed as Developmentally Delayed (DD). At twelve months she was diagnosed with PVL/CP (cerebral palsy). In the following two years she had diagnosis of Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), mental retardation and more. By early 2005, at the age of three, Gracie was still unable to sit or crawl.

When Brian and Shannon had exhausted every possible traditional therapy for Gracie, they heard the words so many other families fear: “There is nothing we can do.” Not willing to accept this for Gracie, they began to research non-traditional treatments. This time of desperation yielded their best hope yet – Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.

In February 2005, Gracie had her first set of forty treatments. She began crawling and slept through the night for the first time – ever. By Gracie’s second set of treatments she began walking!

Gracie had made outstanding progress through HBOT, yet when Brian and Shannon contacted their insurance company, they were disturbed to find that HBOT was not covered. They were then advised that HBOT was not an approved treatment for brain debilitating disorders.

The reality of their situation set in. The entire expense of Gracie’s eighty HBO treatments was now going to be the responsibility of her family and friends. Knowing how much of a financial burden the treatments had been, Brian and Shannon formed a registered charity to raise money for children across the country. This funding would allow other children to receive, not only HBOT, but also other medical treatments and therapies that could possibly improve their condition.

In 2005 the Pridmores founded Gracie’s Hope, Inc. which helped hundreds of children and adults receive the therapies needed to aid in their recovery process using HBOT, using three Sands Series III hyperbaric chambers.

Sands Series III Designer

ROBERT LYNE SANDS

Sands is the designer and patent holder of an innovative mobile hyperbaric chamber, the “TRCS S-200”, used fleet-wide by the United States Navy, Marine Corp. and Coast Guard. The eight-year research and development phase of this transportable chamber system began in 1982. During this period he attended many of the Worlds’ foremost hyperbaric research facilities and worked with the U.S. Navy on a collaboration basis. In 1987, the South Pacific Undersea Medicine Society, (whose membership is usually reserved for physicians and full-time hyperbaric researchers) awarded Sands full membership.

Robert Lyne Sands has lifetime membership in the International Congress of Hyperbaric Medicine.

Sands became closely involved in the treatment of many “investigational” illnesses using hyperbaric oxygen therapy. These ailments included HIV/AIDS fatigue, chronic fatigue syndrome, Lyme Disease, stroke, autism spectrum disorders. He then focussed on brain damage caused by traumatic concussion – the signature injury of the Iraq and Afghanistan War.

The Sands Series III was granted FDA approval in 1998, and is fast-approaching 20 years of continued use.

Sands’ professional experience not only included decades of hands-on work in these “investigational” areas of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, he also had more than twenty years of clinical experience in patient treatments for the conditions “approved” by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society. He lectured extensively to Defense, emergency response groups, specialist physicians and patient groups in Australia, the United States, South America, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

With his love of medical science and genuine desire to make HBOT readily available – Sands became a pioneer in this medicine and is acknowledged as such by medical scientists from around the world.

Dr. Beatrice Golumb, M.D. PhD. Professor of Medicine. UCSD 2011 – a prolific research scientist who has published more than 40 peer-review papers, 22 abstracts and technical reports and who has authored and published five books, wrote:

“Robert Sands is one of only about five licensed manufacturers of HBOT machines in the US, with extensive experience in clinical hyperbaric treatment, whose expertise will be an exceptional asset to this project. He has designed and manufactured HBOT machines for the US, Australia, Britain, Thailand, and many other nations, for naval/military use, civilian diving use, and medical use. He has the theoretical understanding of HBOT therapy that derives from intimate involvement in the process of designing and manufacturing these machines. He has the practical experience that derives from running a set of HBOT centers, and personally overseeing greater than 20,000 hours of HBOT sessions over 35 years”.

Typical of the many emails from some of the thousands of patients who have been successfully treated in his chambers – Murray H R writes:

“If ‘thank you’ adds to your life span, then Bob will be pushing 150 and still walking the beaches of Hawaii. He has shown more caring and understanding toward his fellow man than the critics who, with ignorance, put down a life-altering medical treatment.”

 

For more about Robert Lyne Sands and his work with Hyperbaric Oxygen and its medical use, visit:   www.hboinfo.com