Family, Friends and Community Come Together to Raise Awareness of HydrocephalusLARGO – Jeremy Keyser, 7, was born with a serious chronic neurological medical condition known as Hydrocephalus. His mother Paula says, “We didn’t know anybody else with Hydrocephalus so we decided to start our own support group.” Today, Paula’s group is the first official affiliate of the Hydrocephalus Association and on Saturday, September 6, will be holding its 4th annual Hydrocephalus WALK to raise funds for the Association and awareness of Hydrocephalus at Largo Central Park at 101 Central Park Drive, Largo. Hydrocephalus is an accumulation of fluid in the brain that affects an estimated one million Americans of all ages. One to two in every thousand children are born with it but it can affect you at any stage of life. The repercussions of Hydrocephalus can be severe, particularly in children. There is only one standard treatment for the condition, called a shunt which is a small tube that drains the excess fluid from the brain. Even though it is a simple mechanism, shunts fail at an alarming rate resulting in potentially dozens of surgeries in a lifetime. Not being one who can stand still, Paula has joined with others who are similarly dedicated to raising awareness. Due to the efforts of Bill Vincent of Tarpon Springs, the state of Florida has recently adopted House Resolution 2003 naming September 2008 as Hydrocephalus Awareness month. Registration is at 9 a.m. and the start time is at 10 a.m.., although pre-registering on the website is highly recommended. Refreshments will be available and after the WALK, a Silent Auction will be held as well as a picnic. To find out how you can participate or donate, go to: http://www.hydroassoc.org/help/WALK and click on Tampa, FL WALK.
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