Andrew was born on June 5, 2001. At birth there seemed to be no apparent problems, but that would change soon. He was sick constantly - Breathing issues, vomiting, constipation (he would vomit every time he tried to go to the bathroom). We felt as though we should have our own room at our local hospital’s emergency room….we were there all the time. We saw so many doctors and specialists. It just seemed crazy that no one could pinpoint the problem.

In March of 2004, Andrew became very sick. He vomited for 13 straight days, couldn’t stand to be in bright light, and slept a lot. Again, we were in the doctor’s office, the emergency room, and no answers. It was that mother’s gut feeling that kept me pushing the doctors for answers. A CAT Scan was done, and from there our journey with Hydrocephalus began. His initial shunt worked well until just recently. In November 2010 he had a Programmable shunt put in, and we keep our fingers crossed that it will remain effective.

It is heartbreaking watching your child go through so much, but Andrew has been such a trooper throughout everything. It makes me sad when he asks questions about when he can get his shunt taken out, will his scan be with contrast or without, needles or no needles at this appointment.

If you were to see Andrew you would never guess he has hydrocephalus. He is a normal happy healthy 9 year old boy. He plays soccer, baseball, basketball, and golf. We are also truly blessed with wonderful doctors who care about our son, and listen to our concerns.