The Tiny Little Concentrator

Rebecca H. of Elon, NC loves her OxyGo Fit portable oxygen concentrator provided by Open-Aire. She lives in an assisted living community, and her portable concentrator or "pocketbook" as she calls it, has made a world of difference for her. With it, she's able to go out and do things around town. There’s a local college nearby, where she takes classes on biblical dance and literature.  It's quiet enough that she is able to run it the entire time without interrupting the teacher’s lectures. Her family also drops by for visits and they'll take her out to lunch or to do some shopping.

Her portable concentrator has also gotten a lot of notice around the community.  Rebecca says, "We go to the dining room for our meals, and there are two other ladies [that] are on oxygen besides me. They have huge tanks. They keep asking me over and over again about my tiny little concentrator."  She tells them that Open-Aire is the place to go!

Getting out of the Man-Cave

David L. of Willow Spring, NC is a long-time Open-Aire customer - almost 6 years! Prior to using a portable oxygen concentrator David was using oxygen tanks, but he never liked using them. "It was tough to get out of the house because you can't stay out for more than a couple hours," says David.  Being on oxygen along with a few other health problems forced him into a position where he didn’t want to leave his house anymore. So if he was going to be stuck at home, he was going to make himself comfortable. He put together a man-cave for himself. "It's got a recliner, TV, mini-fridge, and everything I need. I hang out in there with my chihuahua, Nester." 

As nice as his man-cave was, it wasn’t enough. David wasn’t trying to travel far, he just wanted to get out of the house a little bit more and enjoy life.  Around the time he found out about portable oxygen concentrators from Open-Aire from an online ad.  After a quick call, an Open-Aire case manager helped him switch from his old provider and set him up with a portable oxygen concentrator. 

He still uses that great man-cave of his today, but now he's able to spend afternoons out of the house doing things he likes to do. He takes trips around town, goes out to eat and attends some local auctions where he recently won a very expensive vacuum cleaner with a bid of just a few dollars. Best of all it allows him to be a little more active. And now that the weather is warming up again that means more walks for Nester.

King of the Road

William Johnson of Hope Mills, North Carolina loves to travel across the country. After he retired, he and his wife frequently took road trips, and drove over 9,000 miles across the United States. Unfortunately, in October of 2010 his traveling ended, as a series of health issues kept William in and out of the hospital for over six months. “I saw so many doctors in that time, the only one I didn’t see was a veterinarian,” jokes William.

When William came home, he had to use oxygen tanks. His tanks only lasted an hour and a half, which made even short trips around town difficult. Just as he was starting to get frustrated he saw a commercial for Open-Aire portable oxygen concentrators, and he knew that was the solution he needed. It’s been an absolute joy for him. With his portable oxygen concentrator he has unlimited oxygen. Worrying about running out of oxygen is a thing of the past for him because he can charge it in his cigarette lighter, power outlets, and put in an extra battery if he needs to. And with all these ways to keep his portable oxygen concentrator powered, William can travel again!

This past Christmas William traveled to see his kids and grandkids and spent the holidays with them. It was the first time in a year and a half he was able to see them. It was the best Christmas he had in years and says, “I had such a good time I told some of my friends I may never come back.” William is looking forward to being able to get back to his old life in 2013. This February he and his wife already have a trip planned to go to a trip in the mountains, and plenty more after that.