Peggy grew up in coastal North Carolina, but isn’t ashamed to admit she’s terrified of the water.  So when her local doctor recommended hyperbaric treatment for the multiple ulcerations on her leg caused by her chemotherapy, Peggy panicked.  Would this mean she’d have to be submerged underwater in a small chamber?  This thought left her feeling uneasy and claustrophobic.  Avoidance seemed to be her best bet until her wound care team warned her that if left untreated her leg may need to be amputated.  Peggy then decided to seriously research this treatment and soon discovered the Duke Hyperbaric Medicine Clinic.

Fortunately for Peggy, hyperbaric treatment doesn’t involve being submerged in water!  Instead, patients enter a special chamber where they breathe in pure oxygen at air pressure levels 1.5 to 3 times higher than normal to speed healing of wounds.  Peggy was thrilled to learn that “Duke has hyperbaric chambers where you can ‘dive’ down to 33 feet without ANY water!” She was assigned 20 treatment sessions, or dives as they’re called, with the possibility of adding an additional 20 if needed.  But with a 3+ hour commute from her hometown, Peggy desperately needed a place to stay in Durham.  Thankfully, she was referred to Caring House. 

When asked why she chose Caring House over a hotel, she exclaimed, “Wow!  Where to start?  As a single woman in a new city by myself…aging – well one day maybe – I feel so safe at Caring House.  To me, Caring House means peace of mind.”  Peggy describes herself as a “total goofball,” and her laughter is truly contagious.  “I feel so blessed to be able to be here and share my gratitude with the rest of the Caring House community.”  Peggy – we are grateful you joined the Caring House family!