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About us
Oxychai opened in 2020 in Manchester, England. Oxychai therapy centre was founded by our CEO Sarah Dafner after she personally witnessed the healing powers of oxygen therapy with her baby Tzviki.
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Her baby was only three months when he went into cardiac arrest. Little Tzviki suffered brain damage and the doctors said there was nothing to be done. But Sarah was adamant that she would find a way to help her child to have the best quality of life possible .
When Sarah came across the use of oxygen therapy she knew she had discovered a rope to hold onto. Sarah's journey is one of hope, endurance and perseverance.
Tzviki's Story 0-3 months
My story begins with my beautiful baby boy. Tzviki was born on Yom Kippur
night, a normal healthy boy. We thanked G-d for our wonderful new addition. He progressed nicely and was just learning to turn over when he caught influenza at age three months. He started getting better, but on the morning of the third day he didn’t wake up—he had stopped breathing and had gone into cardiac arrest. By the time the paramedics shocked him and got him breathing, 27 minutes had passed, and he sustained massive damage to his brain. They worked on him for hours to keep him alive and told us that the next few days were critical to see if he would survive.
Tzviki prior to suffering from cardiac arrest age 0-3 months
Tzviki in hospital
Tzviki in hospital after his cardiac arrest
When Tzviki was first admitted he was in and out of hospital for three years. Initially after his cardiac arrest he was put into an induced coma so that his body could recover, we waited to hear his prognosis not realizing how ill our son was. After taking a brain scan the doctors revealed our dear son had sustained massive injury to most of his brain; they weren’t sure how long he would live, and even if he were to survive, he would be in a vegetative state.
Tzviki was taken out of the coma after a week. His eyes were open, but his EEG showed no brain activity. He didn’t respond to stimuli, and we started to realize that he was not going to return to the healthy, perfect baby he had been before. For four weeks he did nothing but look straight ahead. Not a sound came out of his mouth. His legs were as stiff as rods they just wouldn’t bend.
The day he started to cry, we were so excited. He was finally waking up! Little did we know. Tzviki began to cry and did not stop. He screamed in pain all day and night and nothing would comfort him. They discharged us in to the care of the community health team, and we had no idea what to do. About a week after he arrived home, he started making slight flicks of his head. I kept noticing it, and when we mentioned it to the doctor, he sent us back to the hospital for an EEG. It turned out that Tzviki had started having seizures.
That day began along road of epileptic drugs that had massive side effects and a lot more hospital admissions. He was screaming in pain because his body was so stiff and was having seizures all day long. His immune system was so low that any contact with anyone who even had a slight cold was enough to send him back to the hospital.
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Tzviki prior to suffering from cardiac arrest age 0-3 months
Tzviki with Mum in the hospital
Tzviki aged 4 months in hospital
Tzviki on Oxygen therapy
We started doing Oxygen therapy session in Morecambe, Lancashire. The drive was about an hour and the commitment was difficult but all the hard work was totally worth it.
Within 20 sessions, Tzviki’s seizures decreased, and he started smiling for the first time since his cardiac arrest. Over the course of treatments he has started having some recognition of sight, and he started responding vocally and interacting. His immune system has become so much better and, Thank G-d, we’ve had fewer hospital visits.
While he still has a long and hard road ahead of him, the little details influencing his quality of life have drastically improved. I can’t describe to you the moment when I approached him silently and smiled and he smiled back, and I realized that he could actually see my face! His consultant couldn’t believe the difference and asked me to give a talk about oxygen therapy to his consultants at the hospital. They doctors have been amazed at his improvement. Recently a orthopaedic surgeon did an exam on Tzviki's legs and saw he no longer has spasticity in them compared to his high spasticity a few years ago and this can only be explained because of the Oxygen Therapy he does.
Tzviki in the Morcombe Oxygen Chamber
Tzviki in the Oxygen Chamber
Tzviki holding a rabbit in Camp Kef