DiveHeart Foundation Founder and President Jim Elliott, along with Executive Director Tinamarie Hernandez join American Warrior Radio to tell us more about this great organization.DiveHeart assists Veterans with severe injuries through adaptive scuba training.
Jim has been very comfortable working around disabled persons his entire life. His father was a disabled Army Vet at the local Veterans hospital, and his daughter was born blind. He got his daughter involved in downhill skiing and personally witnessed how it made a positive impact. He was also a scuba diver and began to explore how that zero gravity environment could benefit persons with disabilities. Jim founded DiveHeart in 2001.
Tinamarie expounds upon the concept that “underwater we are all equal”. For those afflicted by PTSD or Traumatic Brain Injuries, the serenity of being underwater can be very helpful. The increase of deep water pressure creates comfort for people on the autism spectrum. John Hopkins University did a study with twelve DiveHeart Veterans with spinal injuries that showed that at 66 feet underwater, there is an extra output of serotonin which helps with pain management. It also helps with PTSD symptoms.
Jim says one of is favorite experiences comes when Veterans who have lost the use of their legs find themselves “standing upright” in the deep end of the pool or open ocean. DiveHeart regularly takes clients on dive trips throughout the world.
DiveHeart is undertaking a gargantuan project to build the “DiveHeart Education and Research Facility. The facility will feature the world’s deepest warm water pool. This will allow them to provide the clients with the benefits of deep water without having to take them to the ocean. Jim estimates that the project cost will be approximately $100 million.
People can sponsor a diver or contribute to the research facility by visiting their website.
TAKEAWAY: “When I scuba dive, I feel freed from the body in which I otherwise feel trapped.”