Seattle area-based Cider Company Partners with National Patient Advocacy Organization to Raise Awareness for Incurable Brain Condition

Locust Cider founder, Jason Spears, announces a partnership with the Hydrocephalus Association to raise much needed awareness and funds for education and research.

Jason Spears, founder of Locust Cider, a hard cider company based out of Seattle, Washington, announced that he is partnering with the Hydrocephalus Association to raise awareness of hydrocephalus, a life-long neurological condition that has no cure. Locust Cider proudly defines itself as a business with a cause. And that cause is personal to Spears, whose daughter, Lucy, was born with craniosyntosis, a condition in which the skull sutures fuse prematurely, and hydrocephalus. The collaboration will raise awareness of the impact of hydrocephalus on the individuals living with the condition as well as raise funds to support the mission of the Hydrocephalus Association, to provide education, one-on-one support, advocacy, and to fund innovative research into alternative treatment options and a cure.

Hydrocephalus, which affects more than 1 million Americans of all ages, is caused by an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. The only treatment requires brain surgery, and repeated surgeries are often needed due to high failure rates of the predominant treatment—the insertion of a medical device called a shunt into the brain. It is the leading reason for brain surgery in children in the U.S. What is less well known is that anyone can get hydrocephalus at any time from a brain injury, infection, tumor, or, for unknown reasons, as part of the aging process.

“The hardest thing, which people don’t understand, is the effect on our lives because of the condition. Lucy has had five hospital stays in her one year of life, three were for brain surgeries. Every time she is sick, and vomits and cries severely, we have to go to the hospital to make sure her shunt is not malfunctioning. So even if she just has a severe cold, it turns into a midnight ER trip and often being admitted for a few days to monitor her condition,” shared Spears. “Families should not have to live in constant fear of emergency brain surgery.”

Locust Cider will educate through information about hydrocephalus imprinted on each bottle. In addition, a portion of the proceeds of each sale will go directly to the Hydrocephalus Association, the largest service and information provider to individuals and their families living with hydrocephalus and the largest private funder of hydrocephalus research in the U.S. Locust Cider can currently be found in stores in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho and is expanding in the coming weeks to others including California, Texas, and Arizona. Its cider can be purchased online at locustcider.com from almost every state in the US.

More About Hydrocephalus

Hydrocephalus is a chronic, life-threatening condition that can only be treated surgically. The predominant treatment is the insertion of a small tube, called a shunt, into the brain to drain excess cerebrospinal fluid.  Shunts save lives but frequently malfunction, become infected, or blocked.  It is not uncommon for a person with hydrocephalus to have ten or more shunt-related brain surgeries during the course of their lifetime and some individuals have more than 100 surgical procedures.  Each surgical procedure brings the risk of unknown long term cognitive and health effects.

Locust Cider

Founded in 2015, Locust Cider is a cidery that specializes in session ciders located in Woodinville Washington, 20 minutes east of Seattle. Founded by brothers Jason and Patrick Spears, Locust Cider specializes in unique ciders such as Dark Cherry, Thai Ginger, Aged Washington Dessert Apple, and others that rotate seasonally. Driven by their passion to help cure Hydrocephalus, a condition that affects the owner’s daughter, Lucy, Locust Cider donates a portion from each bottle and $25 from each club membership to the Hydrocephalus Association. For the complete list of restaurants, bars, and grocers that carry Locust Cider, go to locustcider.com.

About the Hydrocephalus Association

Founded in 1983 by the parents of children with hydrocephalus, the Hydrocephalus Association is the nation’s largest and most widely respected advocacy organization dedicated to hydrocephalus. More than 60 percent of HA’s funding comes from individual donations, and approximately 35 percent comes from foundation and corporate grants. The Hydrocephalus Association’s mission is to promote a cure for hydrocephalus and improve the lives of those affected by the condition. For more information, visit the Hydrocephalus Association website at www.hydroassoc.org or call (888) 598-3789.