Glen Ridge resident Colette Umar seems like a typical twenty year old. She hangs out with friends, attends school and even has a plan for after graduation. “I’ve always wanted to work with children and I’ve always liked school. I plan to study early childhood education and then work with little kids.” A stark difference between Colette and most of her peers, though, is that she has undergone fifteen brain surgeries to help control the excess cerebral spinal fluid collecting around her brain. Colette has hydrocephalus.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, it’s estimated that one to two out of every thousand babies is born with hydrocephalus. In infants, this condition can cause symptoms like: an unusually large head, vomiting, irritability and seizures. It’s often congenital, though it can develop at any age for a variety of reasons. The most common causes of hydrocephalus include: spina bifida, a tumor on the spinal cord or brain, certain infections and traumatic brain injuries. It can lead to neurologic issues and even death if not treated.

Many parents learn of their child’s diagnosis while still pregnant or just after birth. Colette’s parents found out that she had hydrocephalus while she was in utero. Her first surgery, when a shunt was inserted into her brain to redirect the excess spinal fluid to a part of her body that could absorb it, took place when she was merely one day old. Her fifteenth surgery was completed when she was in the second grade. “Most of my surgeries were shunt revisions,” she explained, “which is normal for people with this disorder. Shunts aren’t perfect and they don’t last forever.” The Pediatric Hydrocephalus Foundation (PHF) website asserts that an average of 40,000 shunt operations occur each year.

Colette explained that aside from learning delays, hydrocephalus has not interfered with her life too much. Most of her friends know about her condition and are willing to learn more. She also hasn’t had as many surgeries as some others with the condition, so she’s able to see her friends more. She added, “In more severe cases, people don’t always know how to react to the person with hydrocephalus. And if they have many surgeries, they aren’t around to build those friendships. They spend a lot of time in the hospital.”

It’s this lack of understanding that has spurred Colette’s advocacy efforts. While in middle school, she realized that she wanted to learn more about this condition and she wanted others to know about it, too. In high school, she initiated faculty dress down days to spread awareness and then started participating in walks for the PHF. She has also raised money for PHF by making and selling jewelry and decorated flip flops. Twice, she has travelled to Washington DC with PHF to educate members of Congress and to try to secure research funds. During her last trip, she along with other NJ residents, met with staffers from Senator Booker and Senator Menendez’s offices and with a representative of Congressman Payne. Colette added “I hope that all this hard work will result in me seeing a cure for hydrocephalus in my lifetime!”

If you would like to get involved, visit the PHF website to learn more or to donate.

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