Tips for Teachers

Plumbing for the brain...

In the 1960s a tiny piece of ingenious plumbing revolutionised the life chances, and the lives, of children with hydrocephalus.

This small device, a shunt, meant that the abnormal build-up of cerebral fluid in the brain, which causes hydrocephalus, could be managed through a simple draining mechanism. Babies born with this condition, and children who acquired it through illness or trauma, could now expect long and healthy lives, instead of serious illness or premature death.

1 in a 1000

This was, in many ways, a triumph for science; the tackling, in quite recent times, of a condition which is embedded in the human population, today affecting one in 1,000 pregnancies in the UK.

Children with hydrocephalus…

However, a shunt is only the beginning of the story. Children with hydrocephalus can live successful, fulfilling lives – but only if their condition is properly recognised, and they are supported to overcome their challenges, especially in their childhood years.

If you would like any additional support please contact us by emailing firstcontact@shinecharity.org.uk or calling 01733 555988.

 
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