Six years after the near drowning of Seth Paschal, Gene Hostetler said his grandson's life improves slowly but steadily, thanks to the use of a hyperbaric chamber.

"He's severely brain injured still," said Hostetler, a longtime member of the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District board and a retired Simi Valley police officer. "He's alive, and that's what we cherish."

With a trust fund in place for Seth, who is now 7, Hostetler and his family are helping other children who are near-drowning victims through their Hugs Foundation for Near Drowning Children.

The family will host its annual dinner and auction fundraiser from 5 to 9 p.m. May 14 at Paul's Italian Villa, 2585 Cochran St., Simi Valley.

"The money spent for tickets and the silent auction stuff will go into the pot to help the kids," Hostetler said. "There will be a buffet dinner. It will be a lot of fun."

Auction items include sports memorabilia, art, a country club membership, in-home massage, cleaning service and more.

Seth will be attending, as will two other local children, Sarah and Joe, both victims of near-drownings and both receiving help from the Hugs Foundation.

Hostetler said the foundation is starting to help children across the country.

So far, there have been children from Colorado, Florida, Ohio and North Carolina who have received some form of help through the foundation.

"We find out what they need and most of them need hyperbaric," he said.

Hyperbaric chambers provide a pressurized dose of oxygen to a patient.

Because victims of near-drownings generally suffer from brain damage because of the lack of oxygen during the accident, hyperbaric treatments are believed to stimulate brain cells, Hostetler said.

The treatments are very expensive, running about $200 a session and needing about 40 sessions a year.

"People around Simi, Thousand Oaks and Moorpark have all been great," Hostetler said.

A golf tournament will also be held in October to benefit the foundation.

Tickets for the dinner are $15 for adults and $12 for children 12 and under. There will be tickets available at the door.

For more information, contact Hostetler at 304-3835.

— Jake Finch's e-mail address is alljake@hotmail.com.