WASHINGTON, Nov. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Hundreds of people will gather in West Potomac Park on Sunday, November 20, to run or walk five kilometers to raise research funds and build awareness of hydrocephalus, a brain condition that affects an estimated 1 million Americans. The event - the first 5K for hydrocephalus held in the Washington area - kicks off at 8:00 a.m.; registration is $25 per participant.
"This walk is deeply personal for me and my family," says Barrett O'Connor, event chair and mother of a nine-year-old girl who developed hydrocephalus as an infant. "Every time my daughter has a headache, I'm afraid that she will need surgery and something will go wrong. I don't want her to live out her life with this fear." O'Connor's daughter has endured six brain surgeries since infancy.
Hydrocephalus - commonly known as "water on the brain" - is a condition in which cerebral fluid accumulates in the brain. The only known treatment is the insertion of a permanent shunt into the patient's brain to drain the fluid. This treatment has not advanced since the 1950s. About two in every 1,000 babies are born with hydrocephalus, and people who sustain even moderate traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can develop the condition. Roughly two-thirds of U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with TBIs are likely to develop hydrocephalus.
"Hydrocephalus can happen to anyone at any time," says O'Connor. "It's as common as Parkinson's disease, autism and Down syndrome, yet few people are aware of this devastating condition and very little research funding is available to find a modern medical solution."
Currently, only about $9 million in federal funding goes to hydrocephalus research, as compared to $172 million for Parkinson's disease and $99 million for cystic fibrosis. The DC 5K event on November 20 will benefit the Hydrocephalus Association, which has awarded roughly $700,000 in research grants since launching its research initiative in 2009. So far, the 5K has generated more than $80,000 in donations.
To register for the 5K event, go to www.walk4hydro.kintera.org/washingtondc. For more information about hydrocephalus, visit www.hydroassoc.org.
Contact
Barrett O'Connor
Director, Hydrocephalus Association
email boconnor1@verizon.net
Tel. (202) 257-4897
www.hydroassoc.org
SOURCE Hydrocephalus Association
