The Hartselle Police Department has opted to waive their no-facial-hair policy for a good cause for the second year in a row.

Several officers are electing to participate in No Shave November to raise money for the Pediatric Hydrocephalus Foundation. This non-profit organization was chosen by the police force because Sgt. Kel Roberts has a daughter with hydrocephalus, and he and his wife Danielle helped charter an Alabama chapter of the PHF.

Reagan Roberts, 3, has a condition that causes cerebrospinal fluid to collect around the brain and spinal cord, which was once known as “water on the brain.” The most prevalent treatment for this irreversible condition is a shunt that drains the fluid from the brain into another part of the body, usually the abdomen. Reagan has already had three brain surgeries and a shunt.

Roberts said there is little funding for research on this condition that affects about one in every 500 births.

“There’s not a lot out there to treat or learn about hydrocephalus,” Roberts said. “It only gets a small portion of government funding for research, which is a tiny amount compared to other, less prevalent conditions. While research for all conditions is great, we wanted to do what we could to promote hydrocephalus.”

The Roberts family looked for a way to raise money and spread the word about the cause. Danielle is now the Chairman of the Alabama chapter of the PHF, and he is the Co-Chair. Roberts suggested the police department use their annual fundraiser to benefit the condition.

“Our chief lets us break the facial hair policy in November if each officer in the competition raises $100,” Roberts said. “Each officer collects money, and we have a website to keep up with who is involved and how much has been raised. We accept cash or checks made out to the Pediatric Hydrocephalus Foundation. People can specify which officer they want to support or just let the officers split it equally.”

Donations can be made to their website active.com/donate/phfshave until Nov. 30. Visitors can also see who has donated, how much money each officer has raised and the total amount raised. The officers are competing for special individual awards including The Highest Earning Beard Award, The Ultimate Beardster Award, The Grayest Beard Award and The Baby Face Beard Award.

The 10 participating officers have raised $1,175 so far.

Roberts said he is excited for the police force to be able to help fund hydrocephalus research.

“We thought this fundraiser would really make it a local effort that would mean a lot to us,” Roberts said. “I’m very proud to be a part of this and we hope we can continue to do our part no matter how small it might seem. I know most people know someone with hydrocephalus, but they don’t know what it’s all about. Maybe our funds can help educate and touch the lives of people and families living with hydrocephalus.”

Source:

HARTSELLE, AL (WAFF) — Hartselle police officers are teaming up with the Alabama Pediatric Hydrocephalus Foundation to raise money with the No Shave November Contest for a Cure.

Each participating officer began November with a clean shave, and they will go “beard to beard” to raise the most money by Nov. 30.

Each officer has been given a minimum goal of $100 to participate.

At the end of November, each officer will be eligible to win an award in the following categories:

The Highest Earning Beard Award
The Ultimate Beardster Award
The Grayest Beard Award
The Baby Face Beard Award

You can click here to see the participating officers and find out how to donate to the cause. You can also find out more about the Pediatric Hydrocephalus Foundation and what their mission is.

Source:

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.

Source:

YORKTOWN, N.Y. — The Pediatric Hydrocephalus Foundation and the Town of Yorktown will host the fifth annual New York Pediatric Hydrocephalus Foundation’s walk and family fun day for Hydrocephalus Awareness on on Saturday, Sept. 20, beginning at 11 a.m.
The walk will be held at Jack DeVito Memorial Park at Veterans Road and Commerce Street, Yorktown Heights.

The walk will have music, entertainment, exhibitions, raffles, games, food, face painting, child friendly activities and much more.

Registration is free and donations will be accepted. To register, visit www.active.com/donate/phfwalkny2014.

Source:

MACOMB —

The mothers of two Macomb children with rare medical disorders have banded together to raise awareness.

On Wednesday, Carol Jackson and Mandi Green, joined Macomb Mayor Mike Inman to declare September as Hydrocephalus and Chiari Malformation Awareness Month.

Jackson’s daughter, Delaney, who will turn 4 in September, has hydrocephalus and Green’s son, Zak, 8, has been diagnosed with chiari malformation.

Hydrocephalus is a life-long condition in which an excess of fluid accumulates in the cavities of the brain.

Delaney, Zak and some of their respective family members joined Inman for the official proclamation.

In an emergency surgery when Delaney was 9 months old, a plastic shunt was implanted in her brain to drain away excess fluid.

Delaney had another surgery in February 2012 to replace the shunt and in October of that same year got an infection from the shunt.

She spent a month at OSF St. Francis Hospital in Peoria while recovering.

Today Delany is doing well, according to Carol.

Green described chiari malformation as, “in simple terms, his skull is too small for his brain.” The condition causes brain tissue to expand into the spinal canal.

Zak had a surgery in July in which some parts of his vertebrae were removed. Chiari malformation, according to Green, causes debilitating headaches and neurological pain.

The Green family will join the Jackson family at the 5K fall fun run/walk for hydrocephalus awareness, set for Sept. 13.

The cost is register is $25 for adults 18 and older and includes a race T-shirt. Children’s registration is $10 and also includes a shirt.

Those who register after Sept. 1 will not be guaranteed a shirt on race day.

Packet pick-up and late registration will be from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Alan Thompson’s State Farm Insurance Office, 623 E. Jackson St.

Same-day registration will be from 7:45 to 8:30 a.m. at the Old Dairy, 201 S. Lafayette St. The event will begin at 9 a.m. Runners, joggers and walkers are encouraged to participate. Strollers are welcome.

Register online for the event at www.active.com/donate/phfrunil2014.

For more information, e-mail Carol Jackson at carol@hydrocephaluskids.org.

Reach Lainie Steelman via email at lsteelman@McDonoughVoice.com, or follow her on Twitter @LainieSteelman.

Source: