The Remarkable Journey of One of America’s Earliest Shunt Surgeries

July 19, 2023

Article in the newspaper about the surgery in 1959.

In 1957, Julia entered the world as a healthy infant. However, within a few days, her head appeared to be growing at an accelerated pace. Doctors soon discovered a birth-related injury obstructing the pathway through which fluid flows from the brain to the spinal cord. “I had a cyst at the base of one ventricle and a blood clot at the base of another,” Julia recalled. So, at just 19 days old, Julia had one of the first successful shunt surgeries in the United States.

By the time Julia was 2 ½ years old, she had four shunt revisions. “All of the revisions were as I grew,” Julia said. Doctors knew she would eventually outgrow the original pipeline system. As part of a pioneer surgery in 1959, doctors replaced it with a new tubing in the belly that would allow for expansion as she got older.

“When they sent the bill, my mother opened it and nearly fainted,” Julia recalled. “She was hysterical, thinking they put the decimal in the wrong place. The bill for my very first surgery was only fifty dollars, and that was for the anesthesiologist. My folks were only 20, so it was like winning the lottery,” Julia said. Grateful for the opportunity to gain knowledge, the doctors generously donated their time.

One of those doctors was Dr. Stevens Dimant, who practiced neurosurgery in Seattle-Tacoma, WA, from 1957 to 1985. “Dr. Dimant did my first six surgeries, and military doctors did my last three,” said Julia. “When I discovered I needed a seventh surgery, I told them nobody but Dr. Dimant had ever cut on me.” Luckily, Julia’s surgeon and Dr. Dimant were good friends. “I called Dr. Dimant, and he said, ‘Oh, don’t worry about him. He knows his stuff. He’s really good.’ So, I let him do the surgery,” Julia said.

Overall, she has had nine shunt revisions, with the last one taking place in March 2009. “Technology has come so far, and my surgery has helped further treatment for generations,” Julia said.

Throughout her life, Julia has often wondered, why me? “Of all the babies in the world, why was I saved? I believe God guided the doctors in repairing my body for a reason,” she said. As a certified nursing assistant for 32 years, caring for others is one of the ways Julia has given back. “I knew I had to do something to help other people,” Julia said. “I’ve had so many people in my corner throughout my life. If they weren’t there, I wouldn’t have made it.”

From the left, Julia’s granddaughter Hailey, son Brandon, Julia and husband Donald, daughter Yvonne and husband Jeff, and granddaughter Cheyanne.

As Julia reminisces about her experience with hydrocephalus, she remembers the initial prognosis given to her family. “They told my parents I would never be normal. That I would never be able to walk, talk, or care for myself,” Julia recalls. This has motivated Julia to share her story. “I see people talk about their babies, and I always tell them, this is what happened to me,” she said. As a mother, Julia understands new parents’ fears. “I gave birth to two children, Yvonne and Brandon, and before Yvonne was born, I asked Dr. Dimant about having a child with my condition,” Julia recalled. “He assured me my condition was due to an accident at birth, and I had as much chance of having a normal child as anybody else.” With technological advances and more access to resources, Julia is optimistic about the future. “Nowadays, it’s so fixable, so hang in there. There’s hope that it will be okay.”

* Dr. Stevens Dimant (1919 – 2007) practiced neurosurgery in the Seattle-Tacoma area from 1957 to 1985. In the early days he covered much of the Pacific Northwest as the primary responder to neurosurgical emergencies and trauma as well as elective surgery. He was a leader in his field, introducing several new neurosurgical concepts and innovative procedures, most of which are still an integral part of surgical practice today. (May 2007, Obituary of Stevens Dimant)