Our family's Hero of Hydrocephalus is Dr. Mark Krieger of Children's Hospital Los Angeles. He has been our seven year old son Josh's neurosurgeon since Josh was diagnosed with hydrocephalus at 7 months of age.

As a first-time mother of an child with a life-threatening condition, I was scared about how to care for my son after his first shunt surgery and subsequent revision 2 years later. What if I did something wrong or didn't do something I should?

Dr. Krieger took the time to answer every question that I had as best he could. Of course he couldn't know what Josh would be like as he grew, if he'd be able to keep up with his twin sister Becky or if he'd need special care.

Every time that we went in for MRIs and check-ups (often several times a year), Dr. Krieger again would give me all the time that I needed to ask questions. At no time did I ever feel talked down to or that I was bothering him. On the contrary, I always felt like Dr. Krieger was our partner in keeping Josh well.

Currently Josh is doing wonderfully in school and no one ever suspects that he has a serious medical condition.

We don't know if Josh's good fortune will continue, or if more revisions and hospitalizations lie ahead. In any case, we do know that we have a great doctor and a great hospital on our team.