Story of Healing: Leslie Maynor

Leslie Maynor: It was horrible. I thought I was dying. It was too much. I thought I would work through the radiation, and life would go on and cancer would be gone. I had a really rude awakening.

I was diagnosed with a rare cancer of the inner ear. I had a surgery to remove it, and right after that, I had to start radiation and chemotherapy. I kept telling everybody “radiation scares me.” It basically kills everything in its path. I had severe burns.

Dr. John Trimmingham, MD (Orthopedic Surgeon): The radiation causes constriction with scarring, cuts off blood supply, and then people end up with pain, ulcers, wounds that don’t heal.

Leslie Maynor: I was left with a hole that did not heal.

Josiah Tugman (Hyperbaric Tech, LPN): Unfortunately, what radiation does, as a side effect, it narrows off the arteries, and the arterials that are trying to supply it with oxygen and blood to heal it.

Leslie Maynor: I’ve lost my hearing. I’ve lost saliva productions on this side.The food in my mouth would burn my mouth. I was eating nothing. I did try afew different treatments. The wound did not heal. I became mentally and emotionally vested where I was just so tired all the time. I was a med tech. I liked the outdoors, I liked to camp, and hanging out with my grandkids. Kayaked at least once a week. Everything had been taken away. There was a point where I questioned, “what did I do all this for?” I was afraid who I used to be would never be again.

But I wasn’t done yet, I had more living to do. Going to my daughter’s wedding was like my big goal. I was referred to Healogics, and also evaluation for hyperbaric oxygen therapy. They treated the wound and started me on the hyperbaric oxygen.

Dr. Trimmingham: Hyperbaric treatment is basically to increase the oxygen content in the blood stream. It’s done in a chamber which is closed and sealed, and then we increase the pressure and the put 100% oxygen in. And it raises the oxygen level in the blood, and the benefits are primarily in generating new blood vessels, or angiogenesis, to promote healing.

Josiah Tugman: The people that I’ve treated while I’ve been here, we’ve had anywhere between 80-100% healing.

Leslie Maynor: We noticed results right away. I was not in pain 24/7. I was first I was afraid to get my hopes up, because I could not take another let down. After I finished hyperbaric oxygen therapy, I had six weeks before my daughter’s wedding. When I went to the wedding and was able to eat and dance and laugh, I accepted the fact it worked.

Josiah Tugman: We not only want to heal their wound, but we want to make sure they have all the tools they need to stay healed.

Leslie Maynor: It’s like a family. When I left there, it was my last day, I didn’t want to go.

Josiah Tugman: The patient to caregiver ratio is far less, so you can come here and get special individualized care.

Leslie Maynor: I feel amazing right now. I’m getting out and doing things, I’m thinking about going back to work, and I haven’t thought about going back to work for a long time. I would not be where I am today without hyperbaric oxygen therapy that was given to me at Healogics. I’m getting up early and going all day, and it’s like, “where did this come from?”, and realizing this is who I used to be. I am living proof that it works.