As many of you know, Jaxon is a very happy, full of energy, and
inquisitive thirteen-year-old boy. He will soon be starting 8th Grade,
and has always loved learning and going to school. Jaxon is on the Cross
 Country and Track teams for his school, and has already started
practicing with his team this summer. He continues to love reading,
coding, and playing Chess. We are extremely proud of the fun-loving
teenager that he is regardless of all the challenges that he has had
along the way. At just 5 months, Jaxon was diagnosed with Hydrocephalus
and had his first VP shunt placed soon after. To date he has had a total
 of 7 different shunt revisions. and Jaxon's last surgery was in
September of 2017 which resulted in him having a second VP shunt placed
along with a programmable valve. We are excited to soon be celebrating
his 7 year Shuntiversary!! Jaxon's health has been constantly improving,
 although he does continue to have mild headaches from time to time. We
know that we are not alone in this journey, and this summer we had the
amazing opportunity to once again attend the Hydrocephalus Association's
 National Conference. This summer the conference was located in Tampa,
Florida and Jaxon attended a group of sessions with other teens who also
 have Hydrocephalus. We as parents attended informational and
educational workshops and sessions. Not only was Jaxon to see old
friends, and meet new ones, but we as parents also met other parents and
 caregivers who have children and family members with Hydrocephalus and
unfortunately can relate to all the ups and downs that come with the
scary territory of brain surgeries, shunt malfunctions, headaches, and
more. Jaxon found comfort in knowing that there are other teens and
young adults who too have not always been healthy, have also had brain
surgeries, and of course have the scars to prove it! One of Jaxon's
favorite sessions at the conference was meeting a panel on young adults
with Hydrocephalus. They gave him hope that there are no limits to what
he can achieve in life regardless of his medical condition.  Despite
everything that has happened in his almost fourteen years of life, Jaxon
 continues to be so positive and upbeat, and encourages us to do the
same. We are so very grateful for his smile and health each day, and we
are continually reminded to appreciate the small moments in life.

Thank you for your continual support!
 We appreciate you!

Jessica and Chris (Jaxon's mom and dad :-)