The PHF is looking for one boy and one girl to serve as our National Spokesperson for our 2020 National Hydrocephalus Awareness Campaign.

Our two National Ambassadors will be featured in marketing and promotional materials all through the year ending in September 2020 with National Hydrocephalus Awareness Month & our National Conference in Washington DC.

The National Ambassadors & their families will also receive a two night complimentary stay @ the Embassy Suites Hotel for the 2020 PHF Issues & Action Hydrocephalus Conference in Washington, DC on Thursday August 20th & Friday August 21st.

We will select ONE boy and ONE girl from all entries received. Read the rules carefully!

1) Submit one picture of your nominee*, between the ages of newborn to 19 years old, with their name, D.O.B., and location. (By submitting a picture, you authorize the PHF to use the picture for promotional purposes).
NOTE: Failure to comply with Rule #1 will disqualify that entry.

2) Only one entry per child will be accepted. Siblings with Hydrocephalus can be entered separately.

3A) PHF Board of Directors & State Chapter Directors are eligible to participate and enter their child.

3B) Past winners are NOT eligible to participate.

4) All entries will be featured on the PHF website & Facebook.

5) IMPORTANT: Please participate in this campaign only if you are able to commit to attending the PHF’s National Hydrocephalus Conference in Washington, DC in August if your entry wins.

TO ENTER:

Contest ends 12/31 & both winners will be announced on Thursday, January 2nd, 2020 in the evening via video announcement.

EMAIL your entries to mike@hydrocephaluskids.org (Entries sent any other way will NOT be accepted or acknowledged).

Check out the picture galleries of everyone who has been entered:

An 8-year-old Myrtle Beach girl born with extra fluid in and around her brain is showing she got an extra dose of something else, too: enthusiasm.

“I have to raise awareness about hydrocephalus, which I have,” says Brooklynn Reiter.

The second grader whose parents once feared she’d never walk is now not only a cheerleader who loves art, reading and science classes at Forestbrook Elementary School but also a national ambassador for the Pediatric Hydrocephalus Foundation.

“She’s always happy,” says Brooklynn’s mother, Kristen Reiter. “She has a great imagination.”

This summer, the Reiters will travel to Washington, D.C., where Brooklynn will speak with members of Congress about hydrocephalus. “You have to warn people about something they might not know about,” Brooklynn says.

About one in 1,000 babies is born with hydrocephalus. There’s no cure, and surgery is the only effective treatment. Brooklynn has had eight operations, starting when she was just 3 days old.

Her mother remembers the moment she found out about Brooklynn’s condition. She was about 20 weeks pregnant and had just had an ultrasound, which is a scan that shows how the fetus is doing.

“I knew something was wrong. They said, ‘Hold on. The doctor needs to talk to you.’ Everything the doctor said to me went in one ear and out the other. I knew whatever she was saying wasn’t good, so I blocked it out.”

Reiter’s doctor sent her to MUSC Health in Charleston, which has doctors and nurses who specialize in taking care of mothers and babies during and after complicated pregnancies. That includes neurosurgeon Libby Infinger.

“This is obviously very frightening for the parents,” Infinger says. “We meet with them early so they can get to know the team that will be caring for the baby. We have such good treatment for hydrocephalus these days. Prompt evaluation and intervention let kids grow up and lead very active and productive lives.”

The Reiters also connected with other families with children who have hydrocephalus. “We heard their stories about their children and what they’ve been through. It’s not all that bad.”

Brooklynn spent her first days of life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at MUSC Children’s Health and returned for surgery several times over the next couple of years. Doctors put in a shunt, a tube that draws fluid off the brain and sends it to the stomach. She also had to have surgery on her eyes, her mother says. “There was so much pressure from the fluid buildup when she was little that it hurt the nerves behind her eyes.”

Hydrocephalus also had an effect on Brooklynn’s development. “When she was little, she had some issues,” her mom says. “She had to have physical therapy and occupational therapy. She didn’t walk till she was over 2 years old. That was kind of a scary time.”

But Brooklynn has gone on to show just how well a person with hydrocephalus can do. While she still needs to visit MUSC Children’s Health once a year to make sure she’s not having any more developmental problems, she’s mostly focused on other things – like movies. “My favorite movie is Wreck-It Ralph 2.”

And like a lot of kids, Brooklynn loves video games. “I usually go play on my Nintendo and my iPad when I get home from school.”

She’s looking forward to her August trip to Washington. “I have to give a speech about hydrocephalus.”

That shouldn’t be any problem for a girl who loves to talk, according to her mother. “I know she’ll do great.”

Infinger agrees. “She’s been through a great deal, but you would never know it by looking at her. Brooklynn is poised, she communicates well, and has great insight to her condition. She’ll do a great job of educating others about hydrocephalus and show our nation’s leaders what a full and meaningful life one can have while living with hydrocephalus when it is recognized early and treated.”

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The PHF is looking for one boy and one girl to serve as our National Spokesperson for our 2019 National Hydrocephalus Awareness Campaign.

These 2 National Ambassasors will be featured in marketing and promotional materials all through the year ending in September 2019 with National Hydrocephalus Awareness Month, (The winners in 2018 received a letter from their Member of Congress and mentioned on the Floor of the House of Representative and entered into the Congressional Record).

The National Ambassadors & their families will also receive a 2 night complimentary stay @ the Embassy Suites Hotel for the 2019 PHF Issues & Action Hydrocephalus Conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. DC on Thursday August 15th & Friday August 16th.

We will randomly selection ONE boy and ONE girl from all entries received. Read the rules carefully!

1) Submit one picture of your nominee*, between the ages of newborn to 19 years old, with their name, D.O.B., and location. *(By submitting a picture, you authorize the PHF to use the picture for promotional purposes).
** Failure to comply with Rule #1 will disqualify that entry.

2) Only one entry per child will be accepted. Siblings with Hydrocephalus can be entered separately.

3) ** PHF Board of Directors & State Chapter Directors are eligible to participate and enter their child.

4) All entries will be featured on the PHF website in a pictorial collage.

EMAIL your entries to mike@hydrocephaluskids.org (Entries sent any other way will NOT be accepted or acknowledged).

Contest ends 12/31 & both winners will be announced on January 2nd, 2019 in the evening via video announcement.

Check out the picture galleries of everyone who has been entered:

The PHF is looking for one boy and one girl to serve as our National Spokesperson for our 2018 National Hydrocephalus Awareness Campaign.

These 2 National Ambassadors will be featured in marketing and promotional materials all through the year ending in September 2018 with National Hydrocephalus Awareness Month.

The National Ambassadors & their families will receive a 2 night complimentary stay @ the Embassy Suites Hotel for the 2018 PHF Issues & Action Hydrocephalus Conference in Washington, DC on August 16th & August 17th. (Travel not included.)

We will randomly select ONE boy and ONE girl from all entries received. Submit a picture of your nominee, between the ages of newborn to 19 years old, with their name and D.O.B. (These pictures MUST BE E-MAILED to mike@hydrocephaluskids.org- Facebook entries are not valid)

To enter, email a picture of your nominee, (between the ages of newborn to 19 years old), with their name, D.O.B. & current city & state)

Contest ends 12/31/2017 & Winners announced on 1/2/2018
* Submit one picture of your nominee*, between the ages of newborn to 19 years old, with their name, D.O.B., and location. (*By submitting a picture you authorize the PHF to use the picture for promotional purposes).
* Previous winners are not eligible.
* Only one entry per child will be accepted. Siblings with Hydrocephalus can be entered separately.
* PHF Board of Directors & State Chapter Directors are eligible to participate and enter their child.

Check out the picture galleries of everyone who has been entered:

We will randomly select ONE male and female from all entries received. Submit a picture of your nominee, between the ages of newborn to 19 years old, with their name and D.O.B. (These pictures MUST BE E-MAILED to mike@hydrocephaluskids.org- Facebook entries are not valid)

The 2 winners will be awarded a 2 NIGHT STAY @ the Crystal City Embassy Suites in Washington DC during our 6th Annual PHF Day of Hydrocephalus Awareness on Capitol Hill Event on 8/18 & 8/19 in 2015, (travel not included).

To enter, email a picture of your nominee, (between the ages of newborn to 19 years old), with their name, D.O.B. & current city & state)

Contest ends 12/31/2015 & Winners announced on 1/2/2016
* Email your picture to mike@hydrocephaluskids.org
* Previous winners are not eligible.
* PHF Board Members & State Chapter Directors ARE eligible to participate.
* By submitting a photo, you agree that the picture may be used in promoting this contest, promotional materials for the PHF, and other PHF outreach campaigns.

Check out the picture galleries of everyone nominated: