HBOT Conversations:
Evan Fernandez

Warriors on the Water

Evan served in the US Marine Corp, and is currently the President and Founder of Warriors on the Water, USA.  Warriors on the Water is a non-profit chartered fishing company that seeks to change a veteran’s perspective on life through natural remedies of healing being on the ocean and surrounded by nature. They offer veterans an opportunity to view their struggles through an alternate perspective; teaching that we cannot change the things that happen, but we can change our reaction.   

Subscribe. Join the discussion. Share the hope.

Watch the Podcast

HBOT News Network welcomes Evan Fernandez with Warriors on the Water.  Evan is an Iraq & Afghanistan Marine Corps combat veteran.  He exited the Marine Corps honorably in 2007, but not before he sustained substantial injuries while in combat. He is currently going through Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy treatments.

Evan tells us how he sustained another head injury about four years ago, and the result of that injury brought back a lot of painful memories and even more cognitive mental decline. He noticed that the multiple TBIs (traumatic brain injuries) have caused him difficulty in concentration & focus, and he was making a lot of mistakes.  The injuries affected his sleep and also caused him to feel a debilitating sense of stress and frustration.

He has now completed 29 HBOT treatments, and gives insight into how he is feeling.  After his first HBOT dive, Evan tells us that he was in tears.  The very first treatment was emotionally overwhelming as it felt like his body was finally starting to come alive.  He was feeling free, like he was breaking free of the chains that held him back and made him feel like he was stuck in his own head. After the first dive, he could even already start to feel the pain diminish.

Evan claims that HBOT has given him an opportunity to regain and sharpen his cognitive abilities, and with a much clearer mind. He is finding that he is able to enjoy things and events more, and is allowing himself to simply be present in the moment. Evan even started exercising after noticing his energy levels were ramping up after the HBOT dives, something else he hasn’t has the desire to do in years.

Evan is extremely grateful for the positive changes HBOT has already given him, as he’s feeling like he’s finally getting his life back.

Beyond his personal testimony, Evan is also here to tell us about Warriors on the Water. Warriors on the Water is a non-profit organization that Evan started leaving the military. They run fishing charters across the entire state of Florida — everywhere from the panhandle, northeast Saint Augustine, and down the East Coast into the Keys. The organization helps veterans and military service members who are experiencing PTSD, depression or anxiety as a result of service enjoy some R&R time, while becoming one with nature and the ocean.  It’s an experience that becomes so much more than just a deep-sea fishing trip (where, by the way, they always guarantee you’re going to catch some fish because some of the best charter captains in the state are running their charters).

Once you board the boat, you start to immediately build camaraderie with the other veterans onboard, and you are then transported into this extremely positive environment where you can celebrate your triumphs and feel like you’re part of a team and a mission.  The entire experience is designed to leave a beautiful, everlasting impact on a veteran’s memory and soul. Evan explains that Warriors on the Water is running more veteran trips out of North Carolina now, and they have also have plans to grow and expand across the coast.

di Girolamo asks how the program is funded, and Evan stresses that there has unfortunately been a lack of funding for the program over the past couple of years. The program is currently seeking funding through donations and sponsorships. If you’d like to donate to the cause or sponsor a fishing tournament for this wonderful organization that helps veterans have an experience of a lifetime, please visit Warriors on the Water at https://warriorsfish.org/donate/.

Guest

Robert Beckman

Evan Fernandez

Evan served in the US Marine Corp, and is currently the President and Founder of Warriors on the Water, USA.

Warriors on the Water, USA is an official 501(c)(3) veteran, non-profit organization based in Sarasota, Florida. Their primary focus is to facilitate and fund a positive outlet through fishing charters for veterans and military service members that experience anxiety, depression, or PTSD related issues as a result of their military service. Warriors on the Water offers our military service members a chance to meet other veterans from all branches and occupations to network and team build with a sense of camaraderie.

Due to the alarming veteran suicide rate, Warriors on the Water, USA seeks to change a veteran’s perspective on life through natural remedies of healing being on the ocean and surrounded by nature. They offer veterans opportunities to view their struggles through an alternate perspective; teaching that we cannot change the things that happen, but we can change our reaction.

Warriors on the Water USA, Inc. is committed to ensuring a positive environment coupled with an amazing experience that will have an everlasting impact on the veteran. Please consider donating to this wonderful non-profit organization.

Subscribe Now, It’s Free!

[contact-form-7 id="65934" title="Subscribe"]

Recent HBOT News

Clinical Trial – Treatment of Cerebral Radiation Necrosis (CRN) With Nerve Growth Factor (NGF)

Cerebral radiation necrosis (CRN) is a well-documented late complication of radiation therapy
for cancers, and may have a devastating effect on the patient’s quality of life (QOL).
However,CRN was once regarded as a progressive and irreversible disease, no standard therapy
has been suggested for CRN. In our clinical practice, we have used nerve growth factor(NGF)
to treat CRN, and found that GM1 can successfully reverse CRN. A case report has been
published in Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO) in 2011. So we carried out this prospective
study to test the efficacy of NGF for CRN.

Clinical Trial – Hemodynamic Effects of Low Dose Spinal Anesthesia for Cesarean Section

We propose to study the effects on hemodynamics (blood pressure, cardiac output, and central
venous pressure) of two doses of bupivacaine for spinal anesthesia during cesarean section: a
higher dose of 12 mg to a lower dose of 4.5 mg. We will examine recovery times, incidence of
hypotension, and compare pain control and maternal satisfaction during and after cesarean
section.

We hypothesize that low dose bupivacaine spinal anesthesia will provide equivalent anesthesia
for cesarean section compared to conventional dose bupivacaine, with less hypotension, faster
recovery time, and enhanced maternal satisfaction. Maternal satisfaction will be assessed by
self-reported pain scores, incidence of nausea and vomiting, shivering, and ability to
interact with baby in the OR.