photos by TRENT KNUCKLES

A rock and a hard place: Above, four-year old Austin Roberson, a student at Oak Grove Elementary, has Cerebral Palsy. His parents and doctors say a new, experimental treatments is his best hope for improvement. The family's health insurance refuses to pay for the treatment because they are not approved by the FDA. Austin's mother is pictured above

by EDDIE ARNOLD

Family members of four-year-old Austin Roberson are caught between a rock and a hard place. They have seen improvements in his ability to function thanks to an experimental form of treatment form his Cerebral Palsy, but they also must bear the financial burden of the treatments themselves.

When Austin Roberson was 10 months old, doctors diagnosed him as having a form of Cerebral Palsy known as spastic quadriplegia. Along with the normal affects of CP, he was unable to use his arms or legs. His chances of leading any type of independent life were, at best, bleak.

Now, at the age of four, Austin's family, which includes mother Francie, father Jerry and brother Jerad, has gained hope thanks to a treatment regimen which they learned about through a support group. Although the procedure, known as Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment (HBOT), has been around for since the 1960's, many families of CP patients are only now finding out about the treatments.

"That was the first place I heard about it," said Austin's mother Francie." On November 20, at a facility in Winter Park, Florida, Austin started his first set of 40 treatments, which are done using a large chamber in which Austin lays during the treatments.

Even though there are HBOT facilities located closer, Roberson said those facilities require that patients have a SPECT brain scan, both before and after the treatments at a cost of about $1,500 each.

Austin just completed his second round of HBOT treatments, which are done in groups of 40. For the duration of each treatment, Austin is placed inside a hyperbaric chamber. Once inside, the oxygen pressure inside the chamber is gradually increased. By the end of treatment 37, the pressure inside the chamber was equal to that found at about 21 feet below sea level.

Roberson said it takes about 15 , minutes to bring the chamber up to pressure and about the same amount of time to gradually lower the pressure, leaving about an hour for the treatment.

On his first few treatments, Roberson accompanied her son inside the chamber. "The first one I had to go in and it really wasn't friendly to my ears. It hurt... I couldn't get my ears cleared, " she said. "He's going in by himself now, and he's doing really good."

photo submitted

While at the maximum pressure, Austin gets treatments, including physical and Occupational therapy.

During one treatment, his occupational therapist Lauren Gordon accompanied him in the chamber.

"As far as we know, it was the first case of occupational therapy being done in an HBOT chamber," she added.

Roberson said that after only four treatments, Austin, who cannot talk, began to become more vocal. By the end of this first nine treatments, which Roberson has nicknamed 'dives', everyone noticed that Austin's body was looking more relaxed.

Because of this improvement, doctors were able to lower his dosage of Valium, which is prescribed to reduce Austin's 'high tone.' Austin's improvement continued throughout his first set of 40 treatments. By the end of dive 38, his head control had noticeably improved. For the first time in his life, Austin was able to hold his head up, by himself, four about two and a half minutes.

After his second round of treatments, Austin had progressed to the point where he could sit alone for seven minutes, Mrs. Roberson said.

Roberson said they are scheduled to go back for another round of treatments in early April, so that Austin can be home in time for his Oak Grove pre-school graduation.

Although they are able to stay at the Ronald McDonald House while in Florida, the cost of these treatments have been a real burden on the family. Roberson explained that each treatment costs $87. Because the use HBOT treatments has not officially been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, insurance companies do not cover the cost of these treatments.

Once Austin completes his third set of treatments Mrs. Roberson hopes that he can go on a schedule of 'booster' treatments, adding that she is not sure how often he might have to have a booster. She explained that some children have undergone more than 300 treatments and are still seeing improvement.

"We're going to do them as long as we see positive results," Roberson explained. "

Although his motor skills are compromised, Austin's cognitive skills are equal or above other students his age. "Even when he was two, his cognitive skills were ahead. At two he tested as a three year old," she said.

Mrs. Roberson said doctors have no way of telling exactly how much improvement they can expect. "Each child is different because each child with Cerebral Palsy is different. They told me that Austin had responded better than any of the other kids they'd seen... we've got a lot of people praying for Austin," she said.

Those who would like more information on Austin's progress can access his website at http://www.oocities.org/Heartland/Farm/7020/Austin/Quest.html

Because their insurance doesn't cover the costs of Austin's treatments, his mother has set up a medical trust in his name. For m ore information on donating to this fund, contact Nancy at Community Trust Bank in Williamsburg at 549-5000.

This article ran in the News Journal March 29, 2000