Cadogan

My son Cadogan was born on September 25, 2020, in Brownsville, TX, which also happens to be my birthday. His mom, Vanessa, had a smooth pregnancy, except for a fever and pre-eclampsia towards the end. Cadogan was delivered via c-section, and aside from a brief NICU stay due to his bilirubin levels, our only concern was his large head—a trait that runs in my family, as both my brother and I were born with larger heads.

After a few months, he started becoming quite fussy, and we noticed his eyes were exhibiting a ‘sunsetting’ effect. Given my family history of poor eyesight—my maternal grandmother wore glasses from a very young age and my dad is legally blind—we initially thought it might be related to genetics.

Around Christmas, Vanessa and I came down with what we strongly suspected was Covid-19. By February, I noticed Cadogan’s fontanelle had become hard. I asked Vanessa about the expected age for it to close, and she said it should be about a year and a half. Soon after that, his condition worsened, and we took him to the hospital.

He was taken from our local hospital to Driscoll Children’s Hospital in Corpus Christi, where he underwent endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) surgery to treat his hydrocephalus. We discussed surgical options with the doctor, who presented the choice of placing a shunt for Cadogan. However, we opted for ETV surgery instead. Looking back, we should have gone with the shunt at that time.

In June of that year, Cadogan started experiencing issues again. Vanessa and her mother took him to Methodist Children’s Hospital in San Antonio, where he underwent surgery to have a shunt placed. Unfortunately, this did not resolve his complications. Less than a month later, his shunt malfunctioned, causing him to vomit and be unable to keep anything down.  On the morning of July 4th, we found ourselves back in San Antonio for his third surgery in less than a year.  As Cadogan rested behind us, we watched the fireworks from the window of his hospital room.

I wasn’t present for the first two surgeries, and although Vanessa had described how challenging it was to see him come out of anesthesia, I wasn’t fully prepared for it. However, that wasn’t the most difficult part. After his third surgery, Cadogan had an external drain (EVD)l in place, which meant we couldn’t hold him. He had to remain in bed for over a month.

Vanessa and I have learned a lot about raising a child with hydrocephalus, and one of the most challenging aspects has been the lack of awareness about the condition. It was hard to find childcare, as many providers were hesitant to take him on.  He cannot walk and scoots instead of crawling, and his balance is not the best. He attends therapy once a week and enjoys working with his therapist, Molly.

Despite his independence and love for his walker, the difficulties in finding suitable care led Vanessa to resign from her teaching position to be with him and I transitioned from being a stay-at-home dad to working in the port so that she could stay home and care for Cadogan.

Although his mother and I are no longer together, she is very active in her support of Cadogan and with our Skate Across Iowa for Hydrocephalus event in September 2024. Today, Cadogan, is able to stand on his own, a testament to his strength and the unwavering support of his family.

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