On January 31, 2025, five-year-old Thomas Cooper died inside a hyperbaric oxygen chamber at the Oxford Center in Troy, Michigan. He was receiving an unapproved treatment for sleep apnea and ADHD when the chamber erupted in flames. His mother tried desperately to save him, burning her arm in the process—but it was too late.

Thomas was trapped, and the chamber had no emergency exit.

This was not a freak accident. It was the result of shocking negligence, ignored warnings, and corporate greed.

Thomas’s death should have never happened. According to a lawsuit filed by his parents, the chamber's manufacturer and the clinic that operated it knew the risk of fire was deadly, and yet they failed to provide proper warnings, adequate training, or even basic safety protocols. The clinic had no accreditation. It marketed unapproved therapies to families in crisis. And it left a child to burn alive in a sealed tube with no way out.

Now, his family is demanding justice. And we must stand with them.

We call on Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald to aggressively pursue all criminal charges against those responsible. That includes not only front-line employees, but also executives and manufacturers who made decisions that led to Thomas’s death.

We also call on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to immediately implement stronger regulations for hyperbaric oxygen therapy—especially when used on children. Clinics offering these treatments must be accredited, must disclose all risks, and must be banned from marketing unapproved therapies.

Thomas’s death cannot be in vain. No other parent should suffer this kind of loss simply because they trusted a clinic to help their child.

Justice means more than a courtroom verdict. It means real change. Sign this petition to stand with Thomas’s family and demand both accountability and reform.

Photo: NBC Courtesy family of Thomas Cooper