Life-threatening Foot Wound Healed through Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber Therapy: Harold Croxton's Story

In May 2025, Harold Croxton began feeling slight pain in his foot, which he dismissed as soreness due to his avid walking.

"I noticed a sore that was oozing from my baby toe, so I kept an eye on it." 

By late May, Harold struggled to walk on his foot as the open wound grew longer, so he called his podiatrist where he lived in Michigan. After hearing the description of the foot wound and Harold's history of diabetes and kidney failure, the podiatrist urged him to go immediately to the emergency room.

Meanwhile, Harold and his wife had been in the process of relocating to Raleigh, NC, so he told his wife, Tina, to go ahead with the relocation, while he had what he thought would be a brief stint in the hospital.

Saving a Foot and a Life

Harold went to the hospital emergency room. The team, led by his podiatrist, examined his foot and ran tests. To Harold's shock, they informed him that the infection had reached his bone and was life-threatening, so he was admitted to the hospital for emergency surgery to remove the dead and infected tissue. He had a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) line placed to administer medication and continue the healing process. He was finally discharged on July 16. 

Upon leaving the hospital, Harold moved immediately to Raleigh to reunite with his wife. On his first day in his new home state, July 17, he fell in a parking lot, suffered a head injury and his wife took him to WakeMed North Hospital Emergency Department. The team ran scans and diagnosed him with a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection. Concerned for his life, they immediately had him transported to WakeMed Raleigh Campus for life-saving care. 

A Deadly Infection

 Harold remained in the hospital for a week before he was discharged home. He received Home Health services with nurses there to administer medication and wrap his foot. By October, Harold was referred for wound care services at WakeMed Wound Care – Raleigh Campus for hyperbaric chamber treatment. He was approved for 40 sessions in two-hour intervals. 

The Battle to Heal a Wound

Oxygen is essential for proper wound healing. For patients who don’t respond to standard treatments, WakeMed Wound Care offers hyperbaric oxygen therapy – a specialized treatment that delivers 100% oxygen at higher-than-normal atmospheric pressure. This increased pressure helps the blood carry more oxygen to tissues, promotes healing and activates white blood cells to fight infection.

This specialty treatment is used for specific conditions, including Wagner grade 3 diabetic wounds, traumatic limb salvage, radiation cystitis, and failed muscle flapsor skin grafts. Most patients undergo a course of 40 treatments, typically five days a week for about two hours per session over eight weeks. During treatment, patients relax in the chamber – watching TV or resting – while a hyperbaric specialist monitors them throughout the session to ensure safety and comfort.

"The outside of my foot looked like a cut open fish, but after 20 sessions in the hyperbaric chamber, it was sealed. By the end of 40 sessions, I was able to walk with no pain and resume my life."

Harold finished treatment on December 3. His treatments progressed more slowly than anticipated because he had two hospitalizations due to his pre-existing health issues with kidney failure, high blood pressure and challenges with controlling diabetes.

"I ended up in the hospital because I wasn't eating. The medication I was on to control my blood sugar made food taste like cardboard, so I had no appetite. This led to severe issues with my blood sugar along with other complications."

Hope for a Normal, Healthy Life

Today, Harold is feeling better and since his wound is healed and his diabetes is now controlled, he is on a list to receive a kidney transplant. 

"At 63 years old, I have mild balance issues still because I didn't walk on my foot for a long time when I had the wound. I'm adjusting, but I feel great. I want to live. I am glad to have a chance for a kidney transplant, so I can one day get off of dialysis."

Thanks for a WakeMed Team that Cared

Looking back on his experience at WakeMed, Harold has a heart full of gratitude.

"I am so grateful for Tracey Johnson, the WakeMed hyperbaric specialist, who supported me in treatment. She was kind, knowledgeable and genuinely concerned. She always encouraged me, and I now consider her one of my best friends. I'm grateful to my wife, Tina. She is excellent and never discouraging. She had to cook meals for me, maintain our home and spend two hours waiting for me to finish each hyperbaric chamber session. I couldn't have gotten through this health ordeal without her — my biggest cheerleader. I'm grateful for everyone at WakeMed. It is a beautiful place. To this day, providers know me by name. I will never forget their tremendous care."

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About WakeMed North Hospital Emergency Department

Located in North Raleigh, the Emergency Department at WakeMed North Hospital is available 24 hours a day to provide full-service emergency care to patients of all ages.

About WakeMed Raleigh Campus

Raleigh Campus is WakeMed's flagship facility and leading provider of advanced health care services. Since its founding in 1961, the WakeMed Raleigh Campus has been a leader in offering one-of-a-kind services and the latest technology with an outstanding commitment to care and caring.

About WakeMed Wound Care

Numerous physicians from these various specialties work with the Wound Care team, allowing WakeMed to offer comprehensive care for a wide variety of patient populations.

This coordinated care is provided by a multidisciplinary team of experts including general, vascular and plastic surgeons, podiatrists, certified wound care specialists and nurses, physical therapists, orthotists, registered dietitians, hyperbaric technicians, and physicians who are specialty trained in hyperbaric medicine.

WakeMed Wound Care also offers Hyperbaric Oxygen therapy in its monoplace hyperbaric chamber.  A few of the conditions that can be treated with Hyperbaric Oxygen therapy include traumatic wounds, diabetic foot ulcers, other wounds related to circulation impairments, serious cuts,  internal radiation injuries and severe infections.