It might seem unlikely that someone with no arms or legs can swim, let alone scuba dive. However, with the support of one non-profit organization in Chicago, people of all abilities, including veterans, can enjoy zero gravity and scuba therapy.
Diveheart Foundation is based in Downers Grove and serves individuals with all kinds of injuries, including traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injuries.
This volunteer-driven charity, 501 C3, has done everything since 2001. They have helped to facilitate cutting edge scubatherapy research with universities medical centers across the country and they have launched an international adaptive scuba training program (Diveheart) for scuba instructors.
“It’s not about scuba diving,”Tinamarie Hernandez is the Diveheart Executive director.
“Diveheart’s ultimate goal is to take the unrealized human potential that exists with individuals with disabilities and create a paradigm shift in their lives,”She said.
“We take Chris in the wheelchair and help him or her become Chris the scuba diver. Now Chris is no longer defined by his or her disability,”She adds.
“Diveheart then helps direct them to activities like coral reef restoration, marine biology and oceanography, giving them focus, purpose and helping them to feel valued while they are learning to become good stewards of the environment.”
Diveheart’s free programs for scuba divers reach coast to coast in the U.S.A., and are repeated by Diveheart teams even further afield in Malaysia.
Researchers from across the country discovered that zero gravity underwater and scubatherapy can have many benefits. These include relief from chronic pain and symptoms like post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as increased focus and a feeling of well-being among people with developmental disabilities.
Research has also shown that deep diving can have big benefits because the body releases more serotonin when it reaches 66 feet. Even those with physical and developmental disabilities may benefit from the first pool session.
Diveheart’s ultimate goal, however, is to raise funds to construct a deep-warm-water training and research facility to allow scuba therapy to be replicated in a controlled, safe environment.
You can find more information about Diveheart or scuba therapy at www.diveheart.org