This little peanut is my niece, Emerson Rain. By the looks of her and the contagious happiness in this photo you would never guess that this love bug has Hydrocephalus.

What is Hydrocephalus?

Before taking a deeper look into Emerson’s journey, I think it is important to understand what her condition is. The Hydrocephalus Association describes the condition as, “an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) within cavities in the brain…this occurs when there is an imbalance between the amount of CSF that is produced and the rate at which it is absorbed.” To sum things up, once the CSF builds up it causes the ventricles to enlarge and the pressure to increase inside the head which can lead to many other complications that all result in brain surgery. Click here to learn more about Hydrocephalus.

Emerson’s Story…

Now that we’ve gotten the facts out of the way lets dive into Emerson’s story. She is now 3 years old, spunky, hilarious, and extremely opinionated 😉 Her electric energy and presences is unreal and you can’t help but smile when you see that little face! Her life hasn’t been the smoothest of roads but she has continually surprised me with her strength and unstoppable personality. She was only 2 weeks old when the scary journey began and had 4 surgeries in her first 6 months of life with many hospital visits to follow. This little ball of energy has continuously touched my heart and I hope after watching the video below she touches yours too.

The admiration and respect I have for my sister, her husband, and their little family is something I can hardly describe. Their outlook on life is inspiring to say the least—under extremely stressful conditions they have continued to grow together into the strongest little family I know. I can only hope the strides we make now will eventually help not only our little Em but others who have the same condition.

“We didn’t know when we gave her the middle name of Rain that the beginning of her life would be filled with so many storm clouds, but we also didn’t foresee the rainbows that followed.”

-Farrah & Brett Weitz

Please view and share this video and take an even deeper look into this sweet girls life, the pictures shown above are of the good times 🙂 If you are anything like me, it is one thing to read about it but completely different to see it.

How to Donate?

Since the Hydrocephalus Association site is slightly confusing here are the steps to donate.  (i.e. I accidentally created a Team Page rather than a personal page and put my donation there and not on the Team Rain page—I’m a real winner! But at least my donation to the cause still exists!)

1. Head to the Team Rain Denver page!
2. Then you can “join the team” this is only if you want to create an account and put it under the Team Rain Denver page.  If you simply want to donate click on an individuals personal page which are listed on the right side of the Team Rain Denver page! You can donate by name or anonymously.

To Walk Virtually

If you would like to walk virtually to support the cause here is the Hydrocephalus WALK Calendar. It is as simple as walking the same distance wherever you are!

Having Emerson’s inspiring presence in my life has truly been a blessing. The lessons I, as an adult, have learned from this young soul are indescribable. Those lessons are something I hold close to my heart. Please consider donating to the cause and help us FIND A CURE. #NoMoreBS (no more brain surgeries!) #ItsANoBrainer

Xx

Victoria