Hydrocephalus Association National Conference Offers Hope and Connections for 1 Million Americans Living with Incurable Brain Disease
More than 600 patients and families impacted by hydrocephalus, a chronic neurological condition for which there is no cure, will join leading medical professionals and researchers in Orange County, CA June 28-30 for HA CONNECT, the Hydrocephalus Association’s 15th National Conference on Hydrocephalus. The biennial conference provides helpful tools and personal connections to address the medical, educational, and social challenges of living with hydrocephalus.
Hydrocephalus is marked by an excess accumulation of fluid in the brain that can only be treated by brain surgery. More than one million people in the U.S. live with hydrocephalus, including children, teenagers, and adults. One in every 1,000 babies is born with hydrocephalus and anyone at any time can develop hydrocephalus from a brain injury, tumor, infection, or for unknown reasons as part of the aging process.
“Hydrocephalus is a complex disease that requires interdisciplinary, patient-focused care,” said J. Gordon McComb, MD, Chief Emeritus, Division of Neurosurgery at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Medical Co-Chair for the conference. “This conference offers an enormous opportunity to connect families, patients, doctors and other caregivers, helping individual families and advancing our understanding of this disease process.”
HA CONNECT will feature more than 70 sessions with some of the nation’s leading experts in neuroscience, dementia, mental health, and brain disorders. In addition to networking and supporting each other, participants spend three days mixing with leading medical professionals, including neurologists, neurosurgeons, neuropsychologists, nurses, educational consultants, and an array of other specialists. During the conference, scientists will discuss current research efforts focused on preventing the development of hydrocephalus and identifying alternative treatment options.
Serving as the keynote speaker is Becky Baeling Lythgoe, a producer, television host, actress, and former Universal Records recording artist, whose son was born with hydrocephalus. In addition to being an accomplished TV host and recording artist, Becky helped bring British pantomime to the American stage along with her husband Kris Lythgoe, whose father Nigel Lythgoe created “So You Think You Can Dance” and helped create “American Idol”. Becky created American Panto through her company Lythgoe Family Panto (LFP). LFP produces family fun fairytale musicals across the country, such as A Snow White Christmas starring Ariana Grande and Neil Patrick Harris, and Sleeping Beauty and Her Winter Knight starring Olivia Holt and Lucy Lawless.
The event also includes Healthcare Professional Day, a one-day symposium geared toward medical professionals. The symposium will cover all aspects of hydrocephalus: from the basics of anatomy and physiology to identifying the condition, treatment options, long term management and other disorders associated with hydrocephalus.
#HACONNECT will be held at the Renaissance Newport Beach Hotel. Both on-site and virtual registration is available. To learn more about the conference and to register, visit www.hydrocephalusconference.org.
About the Hydrocephalus Association:
Founded in 1983 by parents of children with hydrocephalus, the Hydrocephalus Association has grown to be the nation’s largest and most widely respected organization dedicated to hydrocephalus. The Hydrocephalus Association began funding research in 2009. Since then HA has committed well over $12 million to research, making it the largest non-profit, non-governmental funder of hydrocephalus research in the U.S. All Hydrocephalus Association WALKs are volunteer initiated and volunteer coordinated. For more information, visit the Hydrocephalus Association website at www.hydroassoc.org or call (888) 598-3789.