State bill would provide free treatment to vets with traumatic brain injury

By Silas Allen

The (Oklahoma City) Oklahoman

Published: March 20, 2014

When Capt. Matt Smothermon came home from a deployment to Afghanistan with the Oklahoma National Guards 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, he wasnt the same person.

He suffered debilitating headaches and couldnt think properly. He had a hard time focusing, he said, and social situations became difficult to handle.

Things got bad, he said.

Speaking at a news conference Wednesday, Smothermon credited a relatively new type of treatment for giving him his life back. State lawmakers are seeking to make that treatment available at no cost to other veterans with traumatic brain injury.

While in Afghanistan, Smothermon was a platoon leader on a route clearance team, searching for roadside bombs. After surviving three separate bomb blasts, he was hospitalized and diagnosed with traumatic brain injury.

When he returned home, Smothermon noticed the lasting effects the injury had on his cognitive and social skills. Hed been in law school when he deployed, but didnt see a way he could finish.

He decided to undergo hyperbaric oxygen therapy through the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences. He noticed a difference almost immediately, he said. He began to regain his cognitive and social skills.

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State bill would provide free treatment to vets with traumatic brain injury