Sherry has lupus and on July 8, 2003 she was admitted with meningitis. The doctors didn't expect her to make it through the night. Sherry was in a coma by the second night and remained in a coma for nearly 3 months.

She had a trach tube, feeding tube, and comatose. We were told the meningitis caused severe brain damage and the neurologists told us she would never be capable of any motor functions because of the areas of the brain that were damaged. The bilateral basal ganglia and part of the brain stem were damaged. They told us that this part is responsible for carrying the impulse for movement from the spinal cord to the brain. They said she could hear us tell her to move her hand or blink her eyes but the signals couldn't get through.

They suggested nursing home placement and told us she wasn't a candidate for rehabilitation. But our family refused to accept this and began searching for a miracle. We discovered that hyperbaric treatments had helped others with brain injury. My husband and I are both respiratory therapists and we had seen hyperbarics work miracles but had never heard of treating brain injuries. We asked her doctors and they told us they had never heard of it either. We told them just give us a consent to transport her two days a week to a hyperbaric facility.

The hyperbaric treatments aren't FDA approved so her insurance wouldn't pay for the transport or for the cost of the treatments. They cost 200.00 each and are worth every penny. The doctors thought we were wasting our money but they knew that they had nothing else to offer. they decided to write the order giving us permission to take her twice a week to hyperbarics. we also demanded she be placed in a rehab facility and she was denied. they finally realized we weren't taking no for an answer.

Brooks rehabilitation center decided they would give sherry a 10 day trial.that was the end of Sept. 2003. they told us she would never tolerate their program because she was still comatose - vegetative coma was the term. Dr. Thomas Murray started hyperbaric treatments the first day we took sherry to see him. Dr. Murray is a physical medicine doctor with expertise in brain injuries.

He is our hero. Dr. Murray gave us hope and he believed that there was hope for sherry. He told us if he had anything to do with it she would walk again. Sherry was only 33 and had two boys. He just had to help her. Sherry has had 42 hyperbaric treatments now. She was discharged from brooks on Jan. 16,2004.

Sherry is walking with assistance, her trach has been removed, she can type on the computer, she understands everything you tell her, she can hug & kiss her two boys and she reads every day.

Dr. Murray will always be special to our family. He believed in my sister when others had failed. Sherry did have two doctors while in St. Vincents that were really compassionate. we knew Sherry had broken their hearts. Dr. Bartley he was her infection control doctor. He was very compassionate.

I remember him telling us that he didn't believe sherry would pull through and doubted she would ever walk again. We knew it was breaking his heart to tell us that. My mother told him "she will walk again just wait an see". Dr. Bartley said i hope your right and I tell you what the day she does I will do a back flip for her. I cant wait to pay him a visit. I hope he is limber because sherry & I are expecting that flip.

Sherry is a miracle she has a long way to go but she has made tremendous progress. We are so proud of her. sherry has worked very hard. Our family refused to give up on her. It breaks my heart when I think of how close we came to believing that their wasn't any hope. Thank god we have a lot of faith in prayer and miracles. I am attaching a link to Sherrys web pages. please take a look at her pictures.

Thank you

http://www.tbihome.org/gallery/trev_rrt/index.html

from a loving sister Ann Jowers

of a meningitis survivor Sherry Manning