06/02/2026
Celebrating 40 years of saving lives! Our Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy team marked its 40th anniversary with an event that featured several patients whose lives have been impacted by the treatment.
That includes Jonathan Hernandez, who credits the more than 100 treatments he received in the unit nearly 20 years ago with altering the path of his life.
"I suffered a brain injury from carbon monoxide poisoning," says Hernandez, now a patient financial counselor at Nebraska Medicine. "I was brought here to this hospital and was in a coma for about three days."
The first few HBO treatments in 2008 helped a lot. The therapy provides 100% oxygen in a pressurized chamber, allowing your lungs and blood to absorb much more oxygen than normal, helping deliver it to tissues and promote healing.
But after that, his deficits got much worse. He was no longer self-sufficient. His doctor at the time decided to try the the therapy outside the usual window. "I did 20 treatments at first, then took a break and went through some neurological testing," recalls Hernandez. "They were like alright, he's definitely getting better. Let's keep doing it."
Hernandez eventually had more than 100 treatments over the course of several years. "I'm happy to say I'm now married," says Hernandez, with a smile. "I have two kids, I work here at this hospital full time. I love being able to work at the hospital that saved my life."
Co-medical directors of the unit, Jenny Thacker, MD, and Jeffrey Cooper, MD, were also in attendance and spoke to the media about the significance of having the only 24/7 facility in the state and the only one in the region between Kansas City, Denver and Minneapolis that provides around-the-clock emergency, critical care-capable hyperbaric therapy.
