Vanessa Bolano WGNO News

April 19, 2011
CBD—
One year ago tomorrow the oil rig Deepwater Horizon burst into flames claiming 11 lives. It led to the largest oil spill in U.S. history; a spill many say has stolen their health. WGNO's Vanessa Bolano has more.

22-year-old Paul Doom is still getting used to his new life in a wheelchair. Just last summer he was training in Navarre Beach, Florida to become a U.S. Marine.

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"I went to the beach all summer and swam in the Gulf maybe 4, 5 or 6 times and mid or late July I began to get really bad headaches and I started passing blood quite frequently."

At first he was told it was nothing and in November he had a stroke.

"They couldn't tell me why I was paralyzed or why I had lesions in my brain or why I had headaches."

Paul eventually had toxicity tests done that revealed some of the chemicals normally found in crude oil, were now in his blood and he's convinced his time training in the Gulf was killing him.

Paul is in New Orleans today sharing his story at the Gulf Coast Leadership Summit. His mom hopes he has a good day today. She says on bad days he's had up to 14 seizures. Paul's visited nearly 20 hospitals and about 200 doctors including one of our own, Dr. Michael Robichaux near Houma.

"Some people have had enormous amounts of exposure with no problems and others have just walked on the beach and are sick as a dickens," says Dr. Robichaux.

Dr. Robichaux has seen about 60 patients suffering from constant headaches, respiratory problems, and memory loss. He's says Paul's case is bad but he's seen worse and he's convinced this new influx of clients is due to the oil spill.

Paul Doom says he still has a marine mentality, but now he's using it towards a different goal. Paul wants to help people along the Gulf Coast find answers. He says his 14-year-old brother has also tested positive for toxins yet so far he's doing fine.