Voices from Our Community: David Walters Shares his Hydrocephalus Story
Posted by amandagarzon on September 24, 2012 · 1 Comment
David Walters Shares His Story and Encourages Other Teens
My name is David Walters. I live in Washington, D.C. I was diagnosed with hydrocephalus at 2 weeks. I had one shunt revision when I was 9 years old, and I am now 16. I have had no revisions since then (knock on wood).
As side effects of my hydrocephalus, I have epilepsy. Because of this, I have had many long seizures. I often ended up in the ER. However, I have not had a seizure since 2007 (knock on wood again). I also have a learning disability. However, with the help of the Lab School’s occupational, speech and language therapists I am doing much better. I am in the top math class for my grade. Also, my English essays have noticeably improved. Thanks to my English teachers, I use stronger vocabulary words. Everything has improved. I am extremely lucky because I have only had one shunt revision. I have realized that I have to help those who are not as fortunate.
I enjoy going to the movies, reading a good book, attending performances at the theatre, acting, and working with little kids. Even though I have hydrocephalus, I can still do all of this.
As a member of Teens Take Charge, I plan to speak at my school about hydrocephalus, and by doing so raise awareness in my community. At the 12th National Conference on Hydrocephalus, I realized that I had to join Teens Take Charge. I encourage you to join too. The more people we have on board, the easier it is to find a cure for hydrocephalus!
Are you a young adult living with hydrocephalus or a sibling between the ages of 12 to 25? Join the Hydrocephalus Association’s Teens Take Charge (TTC) or contact Jennifer Bechard at Jennifer@hydroassoc.org. To stay connected and up to date, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
Thank you for sharing your story! My son was also diagnosed with hydrocephalus at 2 weeks and had his first shunt put in. He is now in preschool with an IEPER to improve his speech, specifically vocabulary recall. Others rarely notice that he has extra challenges, and we have high hopes he will do great things for himself. Reading your story encourages us. Thank you!