Voices from Our Community: David Walters Shares his Hydrocephalus Story
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!