September Meeting! National Hydrocephalus Awareness Month

Anticipating the September meeting coming up on Saturday, the 17th, from 12:45 pm to 3 pm, as usual.  The difference being that this is also National Hydrocephalus Awareness Month.  I've been posting a lot on my Facebook, taking every opportunity to share and 'like' others' work to promote awareness of hydrocephalus.

I would really like to do some tie-in promotions and several other things to generate interest and awareness.  It would also be great to get back to having an annual picnic again, as another community outreach effort.

It would also be nice to get some more of the hydro dolls and do a 'traveling' project, like the Gnome, complete with a Facebook page to 'follow' them on their travels, then auction them off at the end.

Looking forward to seeing the meeting regulars and possibly some new faces.

Reminder: October Meeting on 10/17

Just a quick reminder, this Saturday (10/17) will be the October meeting, from 12:45 pm to 3:00 pm in the Casey Conference Room at Swedish Hospital's Cherry Hill campus (17th & Jefferson, Seattle).  Drop ins & kids are welcome.  It should be an interesting meeting.  Some members will be calling in and we'll be talking about 'Stir'!

Monthly Meeting Reminder

Just a quick reminder that the September meeting will be held at Swedish Hospital's Cherry Hill campus, in the Casey Conference Room from 1pm to 3 pm on September 19th.  We look forward to seeing everyone.  Remember, drop ins and kids are welcome.

SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?

SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?

 

 

 

A very interesting, provocative article is on the brainline.org site.  It addresses the issue of spouses who face the changes in their relationship with their partner after a TBI (or any other disability, really).  This is a rarely discussed issue, but a very important one.  It can/does change the tone of a relationship, with a spouse becoming caregiver, overshadowing the spousal relationship.

 

 

This site (http://brainline.org) is great.  They have a lot of valuable information for those living with brain injury and their families, friends, caregivers.  Respite care is very important and also rarely addressed.  Arranging for respite care is an important way for families and those around the injured person, as well as the injured person themselves, to take a break from the stresses of living day to day with the newfound limitations and changes to life.

 

 

The same site has an interesting article addressing children, education and brain injury.  In general, this is a wonderful tool for families, friends, caregivers and those who are living with brain injury.

 

 



HYDROCEPHALUS SUPPORT GROUP, INC. 2014 MEETING SCHEDULE

HYDROCEPHALUS SUPPORT GROUP INC MEETING SCHEDULE 2014

 

 

 

We meet on the third Saturday of each month, from 12:45 pm to 3:00 pm in the Casey Conference Room at Swedish Hospital's Cherry Hill campus (17th & Jefferson, Seattle).  We welcome anyone wanting information/moral support in living with the condition of hydrocephalus.  Drop ins are welcome.

 

 

Our meeting was founded by parents and those (of all ages) living with hydrocephalus over 20 years ago.  Every story is unique, just as we are.

 

 

January 18th

February 15th

March 15th

April 19th

May 17th

June 21st

July 19th

August 16th

September 20th

October 18th

November 16th

 

The 2014 Brain Awareness Open House at the UW will be March 4th.  We look forward to seeing Western Washington students (grades 4-12) at the event, along with parents & teachers.  If any teachers would like to have us speak to their classes about hydrocephalus & living with the condition, feel free to contact us.

 



DECEMBER MEETING

Happy Holidays!  This will be the final meeting of 2013--the year went by SO fast.  I'll be posting the 2014 schedule shortly.  December 21st, from 12:45 pm to 3:00 pm in the Casey Conference Room at Swedish Hospital's Cherry Hill campus will be our meeting this month.  As always, drop ins are welcome, as well as children & anyone wanting information about hydrocephalus.

I also want to take the opportunity to thank Swedish Hospital for their generous assistance in providing us with meeting space for the last several years.  It has been great having the space and being available to those in need of moral support in living with hydrocephalus.  We look forward to many more years of service to the community and the assistance of Swedish in that effort.

I would also like to thank the many friends of the group, and family members, worldwide, who have helped make the group a success.

I'm looking forward to 2014 with great anticipation.  Look forward to seeing new and familiar faces in the coming year.

SHAKEN BABY SYNDROME & HYDROCEPHALUS

SHAKEN BABY SYNDROME & HYDROCEPHALUS

Last night one of our local tv stations aired a piece about a string of sites online that promote shaking babies as a positive thing.  The reporter & the anchor mentioned that someone might think of this as a joke, but no one here is laughing.  Neither is the mother who went to the media when she saw one of these sites.  Her son was shaken a few years ago & sustained a severe brain injury that has changed many lives, forever.  He will never able to live to what was once his full potential, because someone, for whatever 'reason' lost control & inflicted unimaginable damage to a young child.

No one who understands what happens inside the skull during one of these shaking episodes can think there is any humor in this.  The inside of the skull is rough & jagged, not intended for the soft brain tissue to come in contact with it.  Cuts, brain bleeds and bruising can easily result.  These can lead to swelling & pressure being put on the brain, impacting a child in many ways, depending on the areas of the brain impacted.

Frankly, this is also what happens inside the skull when a concussion happens to someone older than a small child.  While it isn't called the same thing when it happens to an older child or adult, the results can be the same.  This is what happens when heads collide, be it on the football field or a car accident.

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any information about the statistics of what damages take place, or how many cases of acquired hydrocephalus result from such impacts, but given that there is often significant brain bruising, bleeds, swelling & pressure (whether temporary or permanent) on the precious cargo, the brain, we know that it is a very real possibility of being one of many causes of acquired hydrocephalus.

Brain bleeds can be slow & unknown to the person or those around him/her.  Someone with an undiagnosed brain bleed can think that everything is fine, when it definitely is NOT.  Anyone with a brain bleed, adult or child, can think that nothing is wrong, go to bed & never wake up!  It is also not something those around the injured person would know about by just looking at the person either.  There can be some signs, but most of those aren't going to be picked up on by others.  Personality changes, thinking that they are doing one thing when they are doing something else, disorientation, getting beligerant, throwing up or having a headache can be present, but not always.  Taken out of context, these could all be attributed to someone coming down with a 'bug', being impossible to deal with or simply being 'a brat' (or in the case of an adult, they could be drunk).

Babies may be fussy or sleepy.  Not things that most caregivers are going to necessarily associate with a brain injury.

There is NOTHING funny or positive about brain damage.  While some can overcome the challenges resulting from the damage left by brain injury, it is hardly something to put a positive spin to.  It alters many aspects of the person's life, & those around him/her.  I can only hope that ignorance is what is behind someone thinking that there is anything 'funny' about this.

VETERANS DAY

VETERANS DAY 2013

First, thank you to all service members, past and present, for their tireless service.  It IS greatly appreciated.

As always, it gets me back to thinking about those who have had to adjust to a 'new normal' after a head injury, particularly one that caused an acquired case of hydrocephalus.  My heart goes out to those having to make the adjustment personally, as well as family members, caregivers & friends, who also must make the many adjustments to incorporating hydrocephalus, or any resulting conditions, into life.

The support group has been trying, for quite sometime, to get the word out about our meetings for all those impacted by the fallout after a hydrocephalus diagnosis.  This month's meeting will be on November 16th, from 12:45 pm til 3:00 pm, in the Casey Conference Room at Swedish Hospital's Cherry Hill campus (17th & Jefferson, Seattle).  As always, drop ins are welcome, as well as kids.

I'm also getting ready for the transition now that Seattle has a new Mayor, Ed Murray.  I'm hoping that Mayor Murray will be open to expanding the conversation and education of the police, and other first responders, to acquired hydrocephalus and its prevention.  We are in the process of putting together a packet of information for the police department about acquired hydrocephalus, which is a first step in the right direction.

Looking forward to this month's meeting!

FRONTLINE: The Concussion Issue

FRONTLINE:  THE CONCUSSION ISSUE

I'm going to be watching Frontline tonight with great interest.  The concussion issue is a real concern when it comes to acquired brain damage, particularly as it relates to hydrocephalus.  I realize that everything isn't hydrocephalus related, but it IS one of the conditions that can be acquired by head trauma (TBI).  From the interviews about this particular episode that I've seen so far, there should be an interest in seeing if there is a connection, especially since two of the conditions that are frequently mentioned in conjunction with this issue are Alzheimer's and Parkinson's--which 5-15% of the time are the first diagnosis that someone with NPH (Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus) receive, possibly delaying prompt treatment, which is critical to a patient having the best outcome possible.

I do think that it is over-reacting for people to say that this is potentially the end of football.  Denial doesn't address the very real issue of brain damage and permanently altering players' lives so profoundly.  Trying to project that denial onto researchers who have devoted their careers to finding answers to brain issues is incredibly insulting to everyone.  There are always going to be those who, when told of the potential risks, will still jump into the fray.  There are also people who have no experience with brain injury, who honestly, can't appreciate just what that brain damage will cost them.  I've seen people who acquired hydrocephalus as adults, who DO see a big difference between life before their brain injury and life after. I'm not saying that they can't overcome some, or most, of the challenges, or that the fight isn't worth the effort, but it is a life changing experience.

I can't say, from a personal perspective, what it is to go from that before and after experience.  I was born with hydrocephalus and know nothing else.  I didn't have a life before hydrocephalus and after, although I do have the before and after of having my hydrocephalus arrested (not active).  That could change at any time, without notice.  I've had to find a way to not constantly think about it and to live the best life possible.

In talking with a friend yesterday, I posed the question if CTE (what the researchers are calling the football head injury related to concussive events) is, in some way, related to hydrocephalus.  Again, I realize that not everything head injury involves hydrocephalus, but it should still be part of the discussion.  So many unanswered questions!  This is where brain research is vital and interesting.

As I've said before, I'm not against brain research, I'm just not fixated on finding that 'cure' for hydrocephalus.  I'm sure that there is a lot more research and development to do to improve the shunt for the future and that could potentially improve a lot of lives.  Perxonally, I have always been interested in the research into growing one's own shunt, using the patient's own skin cells/dna to grow a shunt that wouldn't be seen by the body as a foreign object.

SEPTEMBER MEETING--REMINDER

 

 

SEPTEMBER MEETING REMINDER

 

 

The September meeting will be on the 21st, from 12:45 pm to 3:00 pm in the Casey Conference Room at Swedish Hospital's Cherry Hill campus (17th & Jefferson).  Can't believe that September is here already!!  As always, we welcome drop ins and kids to our meeting.

 

 

I've been making a lot of outreach contacts, via email, the last week or so, with mixed results which I expected.  It is always disappointing to find so many not realizing that hydrocephalus is not 'just' a kids' illnes/condition.  Those kids grow up and live full lives--hello!!  Not to mention the families, caregivers and friends of those kids and the adults they become.

 

As I've said before, our focus is on living a full, rewarding life with hydrocephalus, not searching for 'the cure'.  There are simply so many causes that a one-size-fits-all 'cure' is never going to happen.  In a lot of cases, the key is prevention.  Even that isn't reasonable.  We are always going to have kids, and adults, taking chances and seeing concussions as 'no big deal', when it IS.  Those of us living with the condition know what a big deal it can be!  It isn't going to be reasonable to expect contact sports to not have head injuries/TBIs/concussions being a part of it.

 

I have a difficult time believing that those retired professional atheletes would have appreciated the potential problems/issues of their decision to be involved in their contact sports of choice.  For years now, we've been hearing brain researchers and those doctors dealing with the brain on a daily basis expressing concerns about 'heading the ball' in soccer.  Even if players hit the sweet spot, deficits in brain funtion have been found, however short or long term.

 

I'm not against kids taking part in sports and being active, but coaches and parents need to be aware of the negatives, as well as the positives.  In some states (like Washington) kids playing contact sports aren't allowed to re-enter the game if they've taken a shot to the head, until they have been cleared by a team physician.  That means more than a simple 'look 'em over', it means really testing them, to be sure that there isn't any subtle, like a brain bleed that can't be detected simply by looking at the kid.  Or expecting the kid to know whether he/she is healthy enough to play.  A person may not know they have a brain bleed or bruising of their brain.

 

We are also starting work on our table(s) for the UW's Brain Awareness Open House for 2014.  This year's event was a great success and, as always, we are on the lookout for 'stuff' to top last year's event.  Sponsorships for give away items (reuseable bags, caps, tee-shirts, etc.) are always something we are looking for.  We are a 501(c)(3) organization and have been for sometime, so donations are tax deductable.

 

I've also been looking at some possible fundraising ideas.  I'll be talking about them at the September meeting.  Most of what I've been doing for the last week is looking for resource lists to be added to.  Even those that don't list us on their websites are often willing to keep our information for future use or give to their members moving to the Washington state area.

 

Looking forward to the 21st!

 



NFL Settlement

The issue of the NFL settlement touches a nerve, in terms of those who have acquired this and other conditions through concussion and other head trauma, specifically related to sports.  I saw one interview where a former player was saying that if he had been warned, or at least told of the possible injuries he might have rethought playing.  I seriously doubt it.  Kids in pee-wee leagues and school programs simply don't appreciate the potential dangers of what they are doing.  They just want to play the game, pure and simple.  Even if you told them all of the dangers, they wouldn't think twice about suiting up and jumping into the frey.

Frankly, that applies to parents and doctors as well.  Both groups of adults sign off on having kids playing contact sports, with the dangers being perceived as not being as relivant to their kids as it really is.  They also don't think about what could happen decades down the road.

I've spoken out about research into the 'cure' for hydro,  I'm one of 'those people' who don't feel that I need fixing.  However, I DO think that there is a HUGE place for research into acquired hydrocephalus and understanding the impact of concussive injuries on the brain, in general as well as it relates to hydro.  Personally, I would have liked to have seen some $$ required to be dedicated to brain research and awareness for the kids, parents, doctors and coaches.

It was a big deal when it became illegal to keep a kid in play after a possible head injury in school contact sports.  It was a step in the right direction.  The only 'cure' for acquired cases of hydro is PREVENTION.  Doing everything possible to prevent hydro is going to lessen the number of cases--be that acquired through a brain bleed or through head trauma--be that in sports or on the battlefield.

NATIONAL HYDROCEPHALUS AWARENESS MONTH--SEPTEMBER

September is coming fast!  This is National Hydrocephalus Awareness Month and we are, as always, looking for ways to bring awareness to the issue of living with hydrocephalus.  For us, obviously, this is a daily issue and while it is great that we have a national movement of awareness, we need to keep that concept alive twelve months out of the year.

I have been looking for ways to combine that with fundraising ideas for the group.  We have a few programs in the Seattle area that the group needs to be looking at participating in, that would both raise awareness and funds for us, as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

I've also been looking at various events (fairs, health fairs, etc.) that we might be able to include in our outreach projects.  Right now, our biggest event is the UW's Brain Awareness Open House, which is a great event--we love taking part every year, but we need to find some additional events to participate in throughout the year.

It would also be great if we could find some sponsors to help us with participating in some of the events that require money for booth participation.

Admittedly, I should have been trying harder to get some articles in local and regional papers and magazines for September's awareness month.  Awareness is about much more than looking for research dollars.  It is about informing the public about ALL that hydrocephalus is (and isn't), not just focusing on one aspect, that of finding research dollars.

Another aspect of awareness is about letting those living with the condition know that they aren't alone and that groups, like the Hydrocephalus Support Group, Inc., are out here for them to participate in.  That includes family members, friends, caregivers and those in the medical community as well.  All too often, we (and those close to us) are left feeling isolated with this condition.

As I always say, we look forward to seeing new faces at the monthly meetings and increasing our membership.  The next meeting is on September 21st, from 12:45 pm to 3:00 pm in the Casey Conference Room at Swedish Medical Center's Cherry Hill Campus (17th & Jefferson) in Seattle.  We welcome anyone with an interest in hydrocephalus.  Drop ins and children are welcome as well. 

August Meeting

A small but mighty August meeting.  We had one participant call in, so we had a conference call which was nice.

We discussed ideas for Brain Awareness Month, which is coming up in September.  Lots of ideas, but too little time.  Planning for 2014 is in the works.  I promptly came home and did some research into various health fairs and other ideas of expanding our outreach.  Next year I would love to see us have some articles in mainstream, local and regional newspapers and magazines.  I would also like to see us getting involved in some discussion groups on the topic of brain health and development.

I also sent out a bunch of emails to various producers of events in Western Washington to explore the idea of having booths at events in Summer, 2014.

We also touched on the issues parents have in dealing with having a child with challenges, not limited to hydrocephalus.

Thanks to Frank for bringing me a birthday card.  It was great!

Hope to see new faces, as well as the regulars at the September Meeting (9/21/13).

August Meeting--8/17

Just a quick reminder, the August meeting is this coming Saturday, from 12:45 pm to 3:00 pm in the Casey Conference Room at Swedish Hospital's Cherry Hill Campus (17th & Jefferson) in Seattle.  Drop ins & kids are welcome.  There is street parking, as well as two parking garages and direct bus service (#3 & #4).

We look forward to seeing new and familiar faces, as always.

Hard to believe that Hydrocephalus Awareness Month is in less than a month!  As always, we are looking for as many ways to reach out in the community, especially in September, to shed more light on this important issue.

July Meeting Round Up

The July meeting was a great succcess!  We had a new face this month, which was great.  Hopefully there will be more in the coming months.  We answered a lot of questions and had a great dialog.  It was also great to see a friend of the group attending this month, it was a very pleasant surprise!

It is always great to answer questions and make dealing with hydro a bit less daunting for family, friends, caregivers and those living with the condition.  As often happens, we got around to one of our pet peeves, the issue of labeling those of us living with hydro as being 'hopeless' and living less than fulfilling lives.  I mentioned one incident that, even years later, bothers me because it was so public and was one of the few times hydro was mentioned on a mainstream medical drama.  The doctor came to a couple and said, "Your child has hydrocephalus.  Your only option is to terminate the pregnancy, because the child will have no life."  Not only was this offensive, and untrue, in general, but the creator/exec. producer/writer of the show has a seizure disorder IRL--so even more so does HOW DARE HE! apply.  He had a platform that could have been used to both entertain and inform, but he chose to take the low road.  Thankfully, Gray's Anatomy has chosen the high, rather than the low, depicting a child living with hydro as being an active, functional person and the parents as leading normal lives, rather than constantly hovering, waiting for the next 'disaster'.

I was looking for some hydro related bumper stickers to possibly put on the new car, but kept finding these 'Find A Cure For Hydrocephalus' bumper stickers.  The opposite message from what I want.

We did mention, during our discussion, the research that had been done decades ago in terms of growing a shunt in the lab with the patient's own cells.  I can only imagine how far that could have progressed with the new knowledge of this kind of thing, generally speaking.  It would be great if the shunt tubing now used could be replaced with something grown from the patient's own cells.  But that isn't about 'The Cure' it is about improving treatment.

Honestly, the only Cure is really prevention.  Women of childbearing age making sure that they have healthy levels of folic acid in their system before getting pregnant (afterwards the barn door is closed) and knowing their family histories.  From there it is a matter of preventing post birth brain bleeds in preemies, preventing head injuries in sports & other activities.  Prevention also includes wearing helmets when bicycling or riding motorcycles, ATVs, snow mobiles, etc.  Lots of kids avoid wearing helmets while playing sports, but that is also necessary to prevent concussion as well as acquiring hydrocephalus--but these aspects of hydrocephalus are rarely, if ever, talked about.  Prevention also includes how our soldiers are treated when they are placed in harms way.  Ignoring or being unaware of the long range aspects of head injury (particularly closed head injuries) is dangerous and leads to undiagnosed hydro, or even misdiagnosed hydro later on.

I saw an interview with Sanjay Gupta a couple of weeks ago and I'm always waiting for him to discuss this issue, but he never does.  Someday it would be great to hear him talk about prevention and treatment, as well as what living with hydro involves.  But too many of the interviewers (including folks like Dr. Oz) dismiss hydro as being 'too complicated for the audience to understand', which I disagree with.  It also isn't nearly as 'rare' as the medical community would like us to believe.

This month's meeting was great!  Hope to see more new faces in the months to come.

JUNE MEETING

It was great seeing familiar faces!  We discussed a wide array of topics, from attitudes (from others) about living with hydrocephalus and misperceptions (again, from others) about what it means to have a hydro diagnosis to having a conference to call with a friend of the group who lives on the east coast.  It was all great!

Part of our mission is to overcome the myths and misperceptions of hydro, one major one being that those of us with the condition (not a disease) cannot live full lives.  We aren't always having surgeries or living limited lives in wait for something to happen.  It is one of my pet peeves, that it is assumed that we 'need' to be 'fixed' or 'cured' and that the only REAL focus should be on finding THE Cure, that one size fits all solution to 'fix' us.  Difficult to do when the causes are many and it can be acquired at any age!

As we often do, we discussed the history of the shunt and how far things have come since many of us adults were born, in the 50's and early 60's.  The idea of the programmable shunt was, at best, a dream of neuroscientists, but hardly what would have been considered within the realm of reality.  As far as research goes, I'm all for it, but not with the sole goal being to 'fix' us.  My journey has been an interesting one that I wouldn't change for anything.  I would be interested in finding out if mine is genetic, since I was a congenital (born with it), for instance.

I find it facinating that my brain can see scans of itself and learn about itself.  I would love to find out about what did and didn't develop in my brain during gestation (sp) but not with the goal being to 'fix' me or others like me.

It has been great seeing Dr. Richard Ellenbogen, a neurosurgeon at Seattle Children's and the UW/Harborview, on local tv talking about concussions.  So many folks just don't appreciate the seriousness of head injury, at any age.  Many simply don't know the symptoms of a concussion or a closed head injury.  Dr. Ellenbogen has also been an advisor to the NFL on the subject.

I recall talking with a Seattle Police Captain about closed head injuries and how it shouldn't be optional for someone they deal with to refuse being checked out before being allowed to go home.  He was stunned to find out that someone could have a brain bleed or bruising, NOT know it and not be capable of determining the signs or of acting in their own best interest, going to bed (sleepiness is a symptom) and simply never waking up, or waking up with a life altering situation.  The Captain had been one of those who wasn't aware of the symptoms or the seriousness of a head injury.

We also talked about continuing to reach out to folks we haven't seen, or heard from in awhile.  Even if just through Facebook or email, we would love to hear from those who haven't been reachable.  We like to keep in touch and hear what folks are up to.  We also have the ability to have conference calls for the meeting, as we did this month.  Those are great, especially for those who are far away or who don't have transportation.

We look forward to seeing everyone at the July 20th meeting.  We welcome drop ins, children and those with an interest in hydrocephalus.

REMINDER: May Meeting on May 18th

REMINDER FOR MAY MEETING

This month's meeting will be May 18th from 12:45 pm to 3:00 pm in the Casey Room at Swedish Hospital's Cherry Hill Campus.  As always we welcome drop ins and anyone interested in the condition of hydrocephalus.  We also welcome children, as well as adults and those, of any age, living with hydrocephalus.

We look forward to seeing everyone!

The April meeting was very good.  As always, we had some lively discussions about aspects of living with hydrocephalus and caught up with everyone who attended.  We missed those who couldn't attend.  Maybe this month...

Unfortunately, my car was broken into during the meeting.  No one was hurt, just some minor (replaceable) items were taken.  The thieves even locked the car back up when they left!  This has never happened before and the car was parked in the parking garage!  Hoping it won't happen again.

I've changed my contact email, from hydropr61@hotmail.com to hydropr61@gmail.com.  Too many 'issues' in getting my hotmail account back, for the second time this year.  So I can be reached either by either gmail.com account (gf4lyfe@gmail.com or hydropr61@gmail.com). 

Locally, one of the tv stations aired a piece about a Swedish study on elderly adults and falls.  They talked about the increase in traumatic brain injury (TBI) to seniors who fall.  Very interesting study.

Hope to see everyone on the 18th!

April Meeting Reminder

Reminder For The April Meeting

Just a quick reminder that the April meeting will be held on the 20th, from 12:45 pm til 3:00 pm in the Casey Room at Swedish Hospital's Cherry Hill Campus (17th & Jefferson).  All that are interested in hydrocephalus are welcome to attend.

Also, wanted to send belated condolences to Shawnee and her family, at loss of her mother.

Just saw the interview on Bill Moyers & Company (PBS) with Sherman Alexie.  Very interesting and, as always, informative.  

BRAIN AWARENESS OPEN HOUSE--2013

 Tuesday, March 5th was the 2013 Brain Awareness Open House, sponsored by the University of Washington.  This was our 15th year as an exhibitor at this event and we got to meet with 600-700 students from Western Washington from grade school to high school.  As always, it was great meeting the kids, parents and teachers that came.

Kim Andersen, Frank Cook, Diana Pozzi and Kim's mother, Bobbie Andersen manned our booth.  We were fortunate to have Medtronic's shunt rep Dave Schinkel also attend.  He brought some great visual aids and a dvd of a shunt surgery that the kids got to watch.

It is always great to have the opportunity to answer questions and address myths and misunderstandings about hydrocephalus.  It is also nice to be able to let people see that we live full, productive lives with the condition of hydrocephalus.

We're already in the process of making plans for the 2014 event!

It was interesting to hear a teacher ask if we go to schools and make presentations, which we would love to do!  We have members who could make a presentation to students and classes, particularly in the Puget Sound area.  Our group has members throughout Puget Sound--from Olympia to Port Angeles.

As always, we encourage those interested in hydrocephalus to attend one of our monthly meetings.  We meet on the third Saturday of each month, in the Casey Room, from 12:45 pm to 3:00 pm.  The March meeting will be on March 16th.

Student & Bobbe Andersen

Frank Cook

Bobbe, Dave (Medtronic Rep), Kim, Frank & Diana

September: Hydrocephalus Awareness Month

Hard to believe that September is here already!  How 2012 is flying by.

September 1st, the beginning of Hydrocephalus Awareness Month.  I sent a reply to Seattle's Mayor McGinn about it, as part of a response to his newsletter that I recieved in today's email.

I'm hoping to make contact with someone in the Neuro department at Swedish Hospital this week about ideas for bringing more awareness to hydrocephalus in the community during the month.

Look forward to this month's meeting on the 15th.

Take care.