Gabriel's Life

16th annual Sharkfest draws attention to Hydrocephalus

admin — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:32:40 +0000

Five members of the Stanford Varsity Water Polo Team and a Stanford University staff member joined Pete and Sam Finlayson for the 16th Annual Sharkfest last week. Sharkfest is an annual 1.5-mile swim from Alcatraz Island to Aquatic Park. The Finlaysons named their group “Team Hydro” to raise awareness of and money for Hydrocephalus research. The duo’s sister, Kate, 23, was diagnosed with the condition shortly after birth.

“We set up a booth and raised some money and talked to a lot of people about Hydrocephalus,” says Pete Finlayson. “While it’s never easy to have a life-threatening illness, having one that many people have never heard of doesn’t make things easier - socially, because people have never heard of it and don’t understand, but also medically, because there is less money for research and finding new treatments or cures.”

Proceeds from Team Hydro’s participation will go to The Hydrocephalus Association, a San Francisco-based non-profit dedicated to support, education and advocacy for people living with Hydrocephalus.

“In addition to raising funds, we were happy to just be raising awareness about Hydrocephalus, because millions of people in this country are living with this life-threatening disease for which there currently is no cure,” says Finlayson. “It was amazing how many people came up to us at the swim and asked what Hydrocephalus was, so we think we did a good thing, just getting the word out.”

In addition to raising awareness of Hydrocephalus, Team Hyrdo took numerous top honors in the race:
1st Place: Wetsuit 20-24 yrs
1st Place: Non-Wetsuit 20-24 yrs
1st Place: Non-Wetsuit 15-19 yrs
2nd Place Non-Wetsuit 25-29 yrs

Team Hydro plans to make participation in Sharkfest an annual event.

Tech executives use social media to find cure

admin — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 21:06:58 +0000

The medical community can often feel much too slow-moving for those seeking immediate answers to critical questions about healthcare and disease research. A group of innovative California researchers is now turning to technology to help speed access and availability to the latest news and information. Read more:

Use care in selecting bike helmets for toddlers with hydrocephalus

admin — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 19:38:46 +0000

If a pediatrician gives his or her okay for a child with hydrocephalus to ride a bicycle or scooter, parents are charged with finding safety helmets that provide the fit and protection their kids need. The Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute has addressed the issue on its website. Click here for details.

Polo Team Swims with the Sharks to Raise Awareness of Hydrocephalus

admin — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:37:15 +0000

“Kate is one of the kindest, most inspiring people I’ve ever met,” says her brother Pete Finlayson. So inspiring that five members of the Stanford Varsity Water Polo Team and a Stanford University staff member plan on joining her brothers Pete and Sam Finlayson for the 16th Annual Sharkfest. They’re doing this in order to generate awareness and raise funding with the hope of encouraging research for hydrocephalus. Kate, now 23, was diagnosed with hydrocephalus shortly after her birth and it remains a fact of life for her and an estimated one million Americans.

Once a competitive swimmer herself, Kate now struggles with complications associated with hydrocephalus. In recent years these have required over 60 surgeries. Because of this Kate finished high school bedridden and has recently been forced stop-out of college. A particularly rough recent hospitalization inspired her brothers to help however they could. By participating in Sharkfest with their teammates they are furthering awareness and empowerment for their sister and everyone living with this condition.

The Sharkfest is an annual 1.5-mile swim from Alcatraz Island to Aquatic Park that will take place on June 28th. At 9:00 am Kate’s brothers, Pete and Sam Finlayson formerly of San Ramon Valley High School in Alamo, CA, along with four friends from Stanford and roughly 800 other participants will crowd the shipping lanes of San Francisco Bay in this annual test of endurance in the icy cold, powerful tides.

“As a former water polo player for Cal, water polo is excellent training for swimming the Bay,” says Dave Horning, Executive Producer of Enviro-Sports Productions, Inc. “They’re challenging themselves to do something challenging to raise funds for others who are challenged. That’s challenging to the 3rd power and that’s what Sharkfest is about. Go Bears!!!”

Proceeds from the Stanford Team Hydro’s participation will go to The Hydrocephalus Association, a San Francisco based non-profit dedicated to support, education and advocacy for people living with Hydrocephalus.

“Efforts such as this, make a difference in what we are trying to accomplish,” says Marybeth Godlewski, the Hydrocephalus Association’s National Advocacy Director. These five young men are competing in the Sharkfest on behalf of their sister and friend. They are lighting a flame of awareness that adds itself to other similar efforts to make a lasting difference. Every day more and more people across the country are speaking out and becoming involved with our work. It is inspirational, it is motivational and it’s about time our voices were heard!”

Kate Finlayson is 23 and despite recent setbacks she plans to return to college and finish her degree in nursing so that she can help others living with chronic medical conditions.

Medical journal reports on hydrocephalus shunt study

admin — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 01:01:50 +0000

A recent article in the medical journal Pediatrics examines whether cognitive impairment is linked to shunt procedures in infants with hydrocephalus. The investigators studied 6,161 infants born weighing 401 to 1,000 grams who were followed-up at 18 to 22 months of age. Read more:

Endoscopic management of hydrocephalus in pediatric patients: A review of indications, techniques, and outcomes

admin — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:10:44 +0000

Although ventriculoperitoneal shunting remains the treatment of choice for many children with hydrocephalus, advances in endoscopic technology have greatly expanded the treatment options for these patients. For selected patients with obstructive hydrocephalus, endoscopic third ventriculostomy and other endoscopic techniques offer substantial advantages over shunting. As with any surgical procedure, appropriate patient selection is critical to successful outcomes. A recent article by David I. Sandberg, MD, Division of Neurosurgery, Miami Children’s Hospital, and the Department of Neurosurgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, reviews modern endoscopic techniques available to treat hydrocephalus, with a focus on selection criteria and outcomes. Read full article here:

http://jcn.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/23/5/550

Parents credited with early forms of Hydrocephalus treatment

admin — Fri, 30 May 2008 19:55:44 +0000

While medical science is continuing to make strides in developing effective new treatments for Hydrocephalus, some of the most significant early accomplishments in this arena were championed by parents on behalf of their ill children. Much of the foundation for modern-day research can be attributed to some of these early efforts. With Father’s Day just around the corner, here are the touching stories of two such patriarchs who showed exceptional dedication to advancing some of the earliest forms of treatment for Hydrocephalus.

John Holter, working on behalf of his son Charles Case “Casey”, born on November 7, 1955; Roald Dahl, whose son Theo developed hydrocephalus at the age of four months, after his carriage was struck by a taxi in 1960. Read more:

NBC News looks at misdiagnosis of hydrocephalus

admin — Sat, 24 May 2008 23:11:52 +0000

NBC Nightly News recently completed a series of reports related to neurological studies titled “Mind Matters.” In the last of its series, Columbia Medical Center’s Dr. Guy McKhann discussed reasons why hydrocephalus is often misdiagnosed, particularly in people over the age of 60. Click HERE to access video link.

Online hydrocephalus support group attracting members

admin — Mon, 19 May 2008 19:03:46 +0000

Yahoo! Health Groups has created an online support community for those living with hydrocephalus. Members can share their experiences, their resources, and connect with others facing similar life situations. The site can be accessed at www.careplace.com/page/1504.

Triathlon challenge for man who has had 29 brain operations

admin — Wed, 14 May 2008 18:09:50 +0000

A 29-year-old who has had 29 operations on his brain since the age of six is completing a triathlon to raise money for the hospital which saved his life. Simon Lannon, now an architectural technician who lives in England, suffers from hydrocephalus. Over the last 23 years he has had a titanium valve fitted in head, along with several shunts, that help drain this fluid away. Simon will have to continue having surgery throughout his life, but is completing the triathlon to show it is possible to lead a fulfilled life and to thank those who have helped him. Read more: