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  • This 8-year-old girl has had 8 surgeries. Cheering her on is Raiders QB Derek Carr

    February 6, 2019 by  
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    Brooklynn Reiter keeps overcoming any obstacle that is thrown her way – especially eight brain surgeries.

    She gets strength from football.

    The 8-year-old from the Myrtle Beach, S.C., area is often sitting next to her dad, John, watching their beloved Oakland Raiders.

    She especially has her eyes on her favorite Raiders player: Derek Carr.

    Decked out with her Raiders apparel and pom-poms, Brooklynn cheers on Carr and the Raiders when they play.

    Carr returned the favor last week, sending her a letter and an autographed picture wishing her well.

    “Now you are my #1 HERO!” Carr wrote.

    “I was about to scream because he actually signed it and I liked it,” Brooklynn said in a telephone interview. “I jumped up and down.”

    Her dad is a lifelong Raiders fan. She became a Raiders fan at an early age and had a Darren McFadden jersey, just like her dad.

    “She got to a point when someone would get ready to hike the ball or coming out of the huddle, her feet would start kicking.,” he said. “When she got older, she would watch the game with me more and more. One day she looked at me and said, ‘I love the Raiders, too.’ It just took off from there.”

    She pays close attention when Carr gets sacked – she doesn’t want him to get hurt, and especially worries about head injuries.

    Brooklynn worries because she has an incurable brain condition called hydrocephalus, a buildup of cerebral fluid that can put pressure on the brain. She has a shunt to drain the fluid, but when it fails, she needs surgery, the latest before Thanksgiving.

    “I’m always scared,” she said of her concern for Carr, “if he gets admitted to the hospital or broke a part of his body.”

    Carr aimed to calm her fears in his letter.

    “Don’t you worry about me,” Carr wrote. “When I get hit, it is usually not that hard.” (Carr put in a smiley face at the end.)

    Brooklynn was one of two selected as the 2019 National Ambassador of Hydrocephalus Awareness for the Pediatric Hydrocephalus Foundation. Brooklynn and her family will be going to Washington, D.C., in August to meet with two senators and a congressman.

    Carr wished Brooklynn well on her trip to Washington and concluded, “Keep fighting the fight and know that #4 is your biggest fan!”

    Source:

    Derek Carr has a special fan in Brooklynn Reiter

    February 2, 2019 by  
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    8-year-old girl has survived eight brain surgeries and fears for her favorite player when he takes a blow to the head

    by Tom LaMarre

    Derek Carr and the Oakland Raiders have fans everywhere, but perhaps none quite like Brooklynn Reiter.

    The 8-year-old from Forestbrook, S.C., has a rare, incurable brain condition known as hydrocephalus, and in fact is 2019 Ambassador for the Pediatric Hydrocephalus Foundation.

    Brooklynn, who has survived eight surgeries to drain fluid from her brain, is part of a family of huge Raider fans, and her favorite player is Carr, but she is concerned every time the quarterback takes a hard hit.

    “(Brooklynn) worries every time he gets hit in the head that he’ll get ‘sick like me and need brain surgery,’” Reiter’s mother, Kristen, said.

    Brooklynn, who watches the games in the family’s “Raider Room,” had plenty of opportunities to worry about Carr during the 2018 season because he was sacked a career-high 51 times.

    Carr was touched when he heard about his young fan and mailed her this letter along with an autographed picture of himself:

    Dear Brooklynn, I hope this letter finds you well. My business manager explained to me that you are am amazing 8-year-old that has had to overcome some very difficult odds.

    “I thought my job was tough, but I also know that you have had eight surgeries and continue to fight on! Well, you know what, now you are my #1 HERO! I respect your courage, tenacity, and attitude. And don’t you worry about me! When I get hit it is usually not that hard. 🙂

    “In August, I hear that you will be the National Ambassador of Hydrocephalus attending an event in Washington, D.C., and will meet Senators and Congressmen. That sounds super exciting!

    “Please know that you will always be in my prayers and I hope you watch the Raiders in 2019. Keep fighting the fight and know that No. 4 is your biggest fan! God Bless you!

    Love you,
    Derek Carr,
    Oakland Raiders QB.

    Hydrocephalus is a rare brain condition occurring at birth, affecting about one in every 500 babies.

    Untreated, it can be fatal.

    “Some people don’t know what the word means and they don’t know how to say it,” Brooklynn said.

    The condition causes excessive fluid to gather in the brain, abnormally widening spaces in the brain and placing potentially harmful pressure on brain tissues.

    And the surgery comes with no guarantees.

    “Its scary,” said Brooklynn’s father, John. “You don’t really know what’s going to happen from one day to the next. The shunts (placed in the brain) on average have a 50 percent success rate. They either work or they don’t.”

    So far, Brooklynn is 8-for-8, and in addition to cheering for Carr and the Raiders, she enjoys drawing, playing, music, singing and dancing. She hopes to act in school plays when she is older.

    For now, her motto is the same as her favorite team’s: “Just win, Baby!”

    Source:

    NFL Super Star Derek Carr Makes Hydro Hero Brooklynn Reiter Smile!

    February 2, 2019 by  
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    brookcarr NFL Super Star Derek Carr Makes Hydro Hero Brooklynn Reiter Smile!

    Oakland Raiders Star Quarterback Derek Carr heard all about Brooklynn’s 8 surgeries, being named the female National Ambassador of Hydrocephalus Awareness, and her concern for him getting hit in the head and getting sick and needing brain surgery like her.

    Brooklynn just received in the mail an autographed picture and letter from Derek Carr, which reads:

    Dear Brooklynn,

    I hope this letter finds you well. My business manager explained to me that you are an amazing 8 year-old that has had to overcome some very difficult odds.

    I thought my job was tough, but I also know that you have had 8 surgeries and continue to fignt on! Well, you know what, now you are my #1 HERO! I respect your courage, tenacity, and attitude. And don’t you worry about me! When I get hit it is usually not that hard. 🙂

    In August, I hear you will be the National Ambassador of Hydrocephalus attending an event in Washington DC, and will meet Senators and Congressman. That sounds super exciting!

    Please know that you will always be in my prayers and I hope you watch the Raiders in 2019!

    Keep fighting the fight and know that #4 is your biggest fan!

    God Bless you!

    Love you,
    Derek Carr
    Oakland Raiders QB

    Forestbrook 8-year old chosen to be national foundation ambassador

    January 22, 2019 by  
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    HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — Like many eight year olds, Brooklynn Reiter spends her time drawing, playing music, and cheering on her Oakland Raiders.

    “Because my dad likes them. And me and my dad watch them,” Brooklynn said.

    Now, she’ll add another activity to that list: being a 2019 ambassador for the Pediatric Hydrocephalus Foundation.

    Hydrocephalus is a rare brain condition, affecting around one in every 500 babies.

    “The fluid around your brain doesn’t drain on its own,” father John Reiter explained.

    Brooklynn has undergone one surgery every year to clear the fluid.

    “It felt weird at first. But whenever you fall asleep. It doesn’t feel that weird,” Brooklynn said.

    As a parent, her father says its tough to see his daughter go through something so painful.

    “Its scary. You don’t really know whats going to happen from one day to the next,” John Reiter said. “The shunts on average have a 50% success rate. They either work or they don’t,”

    So far, Brooklynn’s shunts have been successful.

    Now, her goal is to raise awareness about the rare condition.

    “Some people don’t know what the word means and they don’t know how to say it,” Brooklynn said.

    Her motto echoes her favorite team.

    “Just win baby.”

    Source:

    MARSHALL: Doctor’s Note Jan. 12: 5 yr.-old raising awareness for Hydrocephalus

    January 13, 2019 by  
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    By Congressman Roger Marshall

    This week Caleb Wiggs from Leoti, Kansas celebrated his fifth birthday.

    Caleb is grateful for many things this milestone, but perhaps one thing that many 5-year-olds overlook, he is grateful for his life. At the age of five, this condition has caused him to undergo three life-saving brain surgeries.

    Caleb has been selected as one of the 2019 National Ambassador for Hydrocephalus Awareness for the Pediatric Hydrocephalus Foundation. As an ambassador, he will educate people across the country on this disease that so desperately needs medical advancements and treatment solutions. He will also participate in the 2019 Hydrocephalus Issues & Action Conference in Washington this August where he will meet with my fellow lawmakers.

    Hydrocephalus can develop at the time of birth or later. As an obstetrician, I understand the severity of this condition from having to prepare new mothers for the challenges ahead and ensuring the best care for these newborns. Sadly, one to two of every 1,000 babies are born with hydrocephalus but there is hope. Robust medical research partnered with patient advocates like Caleb can bring new advancements to the finish line.

    Caleb, your bravery and voice will have an impact on thousands of lives, including the many families fighting this condition.

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