Hydrocephalus

Hydrocephalus

By Radmila

April 28th, 2022

I believe that people who have disabilities should not be seen as anything less than you or I. Before I understood about disabilities and the individuals who have them, I thought that they didn't want to speak with me, and that I shouldn't interact with them. Now I know that even if they are not exactly like the people you know in your everyday life, everyone is unique and different. They can be just as wonderful as any other person. Any individual can be independent, even if they need assistance with certain activities. Overall, I see no reason to set those with disabilities aside from the rest of our brilliant population, and I hope to inspire other people who were also uneducated about disabilities.

I have collected many facts about hydrocephalus, and will share them with you. First of all, hydrocephalus is caused by an overly high amount of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) trapped in one or more of the ventricles inside the brain. CSF applies pressure upon the brain, and this pressure grows overtime. If left untreated, hydrocephalus will become deadly. Some of the most common symptoms of hydrocephalus are painful headaches, and an inability to control bladder. Multiple surgery choices are available for those with hydrocephalus. After a shunt placement, the patient will no longer have these symptomatic issues, unless they have a shunt malfunction.

Like all individuals with disabilities, those with hydrocephalus wish to be treated like everyone else. The interesting fact, however, is that once individuals receive a shunt placement or surgery, they do not really act any differently then anyone else. They will have no symptomatic issues unless they have a shunt malfunction. While they will still be watched closer than other individuals for any problems, they usually have no major differences from other people. Unless their hydrocephalus was caused by another disability, in which case, they may still have the problems from their original disability. You could be in a room with someone who has hydrocephalus, and never know.

When I was enlightened by the Licking County Board of Developmental Disabilities (LCBDD), I was overjoyed to receive their impressive knowledge, and to know that there were individuals who spent their lives assisting people with disabilities. They helped me realize that we were not alone in caring about these people finally receiving equality. After hearing their stories, I was moved to devote myself to the assistance of disabled individuals.

One guest that came and provided deep insight towards living with disabilities was Zach Werner. He wrote the book "God Is Walking With Me Through My Disability". I have always desired to become an author, but that was not the only inspiring achievement that he accomplished, he also told us his unique story. When Zach was a kid, he was bullied and ignored because of his Cerebral Palsy. Zach reminded us that even though he had a disability, he could still accomplish wonderful and impressive feats.