Just who is Dave Hargett?

This page last updated on 05/29/06 09:19 PM

Dave Hargett is a committed sleep activist, who has founded A.P.N.E.A. NET to support his fellow sleep apnea patients and to increase awareness of sleep disorders in general. He worked 30 years in the corporate headquarters of a major corporation in a Chicago suburb. Dave is an active member of Friendship United Methodist Church and has served in several leadership positions. Dave has recently begun focusing more of his volunteer efforts in the sleep community as you can see from the list of his sleep-related activities.

Dave was diagnosed with severe obstructive sleep apnea and began successful CPAP therapy in September 1994. In his case, the results were almost instantaneous -- he saw major results in just four days! (More information on Dave's path to diagnosis is available)

After four months on CPAP, he was invited to attend an organizational meeting for an A.W.A.K.E. group at Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. Unable to attend the initial meeting, Dave made the February 1995 meeting and has attended almost every monthly meeting since then. As the group evolved, he volunteered to produce a monthly newsletter, then took over as the unofficial moderator of the group when the two initial coordinators of the group changed jobs and could no longer continue working with the group. When the group held it's first formal elections in 1996, he was elected President of the group. While elections are no longer held, Dave continues as the Coordinator of the Elk Grove Village A.W.A.K.E. group and has even started a second group in Naperville, IL.    At the June 1997 APSS meeting, the American Sleep Apnea Association named him the first A.W.A.K.E. Coordinator of the Year.

In October of 1995, Dave was introduced to WakeUpAmerica by Dr. Frankie Roman, who came to Chicago to speak to the A.W.A.K.E. group at Condell Medical Center. At this point, he became much more aware of the public issues surrounding sleep and sleep disorders and began learning more about them. Exactly when he committed himself to sleep is still a mystery, but suddenly a sleep activist was born!

While Dave has an obvious interest in obstructive sleep apnea, he has expanded his activities to include sleep disorders in general. His goal is to increase awareness of sleep disorders within the general public, the medical profession, the healthcare and health insurance industry, and in the workplace as well. This Web site is one way to achieve those ambitious goals.

A.P.N.E.A. NET is dedicated to providing News and Education to Sleep Apnea Patients and their family members,
and to increasing Public Awareness of Sleep Apnea through Patient Activism. See our Disclaimer for additional information.

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This site created and maintained by Dave Hargett,  
Chairman and Founder of The Apnea Patients' News, Education & Awareness Network

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