The Hartselle Police Department raised $3,070 during its second annual No Shave November fundraiser.

Proceeds will go to the Alabama chapter of Pediatric Hydrocephalus Foundation. Hydrocephalus is a condition that causes an excessive amount of cerebrospinal fluid to collect in the brain.

The most common treatment for the incurable condition is a shunt that drains fluid from the brain into another part of the body where it can be absorbed naturally. The accumulation of the fluid creates potentially harmful pressure on the tissues of the brain.

The foundation was chosen as this year’s donation recipient to support Sgt. Kel Roberts whose 3-year-old daughter, Reagan, was diagnosed with Hydrocephalus at 16 weeks gestation.

“Our doctors told us that we could terminate the pregnancy, but decided to put our faith in God and through with it,” said Roberts, who is the co-chair of PHF. His wife Danielle is the chairwoman.

Robert’s said the condition slightly affects Reagan’s motor skills, but not her intelligence. So far, she has had three brain surgeries to replace shunts.

“I think the people around Reagan have been impacted more than she has,” Roberts said. “She is a happy child and is ray of light for our entire family.”

As a parent, Roberts said the hardest part is not knowing what tomorrow holds.

“We’re always on guard because we never know if something as simple as the common cold is a red flag that something is wrong,” he said.

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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.”

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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.

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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.

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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.

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