Wanted to share the full article from the DIVER magazine UK about my quest to di

[scuba diving Matt]

Hello to all of my friends. Just wanted to share this, and say thanks again for all the support. Everyone on The Board is just awesome! Take care and safe diving. I look forward to joining you all soon.
-Matt-

DIVER magazine UK
February 2005 Issue

Terminally Ill Man Hopes to Dive the Dream

An American who has debilitating muscular dystrophy is determined to succeed in his quest to go diving – with the aid of a ventilator specially developed at a cost of some $200,000.

And Matt Johnston may be able to raise the money required to achieve his dream, because any unit developed could be further exploited as a new type of life-support machine for use in diving applications.

Johnston, from Woodbury in Minnesota is 27, and people with his condition are rarely expected to survive beyond 30. His degenerative condition incapacitates voluntary and eventually involuntary muscles including the diaphragm and heart. Johnston also has scoliosis, an extreme curvature of the spine.

His urge to dive was given added impetus last year with the death of his nurse and close friend, Michelle Zimmer. “She always said to me: ‘Live your dream out’”. Johnston told Nancy Yang of Pioneer Press newspaper.

Project Innerspace, a non-profit health aid development agency based in Rhode Island has agreed to fund at least the early development of a ventilator re-packaged to work when submerged.

“I think this can develop a new life support system” said board member Mike Lombardi, who is also an exploration diver. “It will be operating at an increased pressure, so the way the system functions is going to change completely.”

One possible unit for adaptation is the HT50 ventilator from Newport Medical Instruments, which has already been used in hyperbaric chambers at up to 2.1 bar – equivalent to a diving depth of about 10m.

Johnston says he’d be happy to just get under water, even if just for 10 minutes at a time and to only 2 or 3m in depth.

You can follow his fortunes by visiting his web site.

;D