Welcome to my HA WALK Page
Join me as I WALK to End Hydrocephalus! As you may know, hydrocephalus is a life altering, life threatening condition, caused by an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid, resulting in pressure on the brain. The most common treatment for this condition is brain surgery to implant a medical device called a shunt, which has a 50% failure rate in children within the first two years. A shunt is not a cure, as many patients endure multiple brain surgeries throughout their lifetime, some more than 100. Imagine life knowing that the next brain surgery lurks around the corner because your shunt could fail at any moment.
When I was 20 weeks pregnant, my husband and I found out that our daughter had a large amount of cerebrospinal fluid in her brain and there began our roller coaster. Our daughter, Nora, was born via C-section due to her head circumference and the pressure she was experiencing; she then spent six days in the NICU. For Nora's first six weeks of life, she slept. Nora's pressure was so severe it was rare for us to see her eyes and we had to basically force feed her. At six weeks, Nora had her first brain surgery to place her VP shunt. A few hours after surgery, Nora had her very first smile with her eyes wide open! We are very grateful for Nora's neurosurgeon, he has taken her under his wing, truly cares for her, and saved her life by placing her shunt. We are very thankful for her shunt but, it is not a cure and does have a high failure rate. We are constantly on edge, waiting... watching... for any sign of shunt failure. Nora is now 5 years old and has had 4 brain surgeries by the time she was 1.
This is WHY I WALK and also why I need your support. Please donate and help me reach my goal. Your donation is greatly appreciated and will go far in helping us find a cure and improve the lives of people, such as Nora who live with hydrocephalus.
Thank you!
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