Hydrocephalus is aneurological disorder caused by an abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluid inthe ventricles (cavities) deep within the brain. This excess fluid causes the ventricles to widen, puttingharmful pressure on the brain's tissues. Its a life-threatening conditionthat affects more than 1 million Americans. Anyone, at any age, can develop hydrocephalus,according to the National Institute ofneurological Disorders and Stroke at the National Institute

For TV Host Jeff Pearson “I wasborn in Ft. Collins, CO, in 1977. When I was 2 weeks old, it was confirmed thatI had hydrocephalus and aqueductal stenosis, and I received my first shunt.Over the next few years, I had several surgeries, most related to hydrocephalusthrough about age 10. When I was 18, the summer after graduating from highschool, I had a couple more hydrocephalus-related surgeries (one of which was arevision). Following those two surgeries, I had a nice long break for about 18years.

During that time I graduated high school, traveled the world for a yearas a singer with a group called Up with People, became a productive, workingadult, married Catherine, and we now have 3 amazing children (Elizabeth, Nick,and Kacia) that are growing up way too fast.

Between 2013 and 2022, I had 6 more surgeries - 5 of them were directlyrelated to hydrocephalus. Shortly after a revision in 2018, I was sitting inthe exam room waiting for my neurosurgeon to come in to do a follow-up. It wasquiet in the room, and I began to hear sounds from the room next to mine thatsounded like distraught parents. I thought to myself, "I wonder if theyare finding out that their child is going to have brain surgery..."

That got me thinking and my mind was flooded with thoughts of my parentsand what they may have felt after hearing that I had to have brain surgery whenI was just 2 weeks old, not to mention all the revisions over the years, theworry they must have felt every time I rode my bike or skateboard somewhere,climbed...anything, or went snowboarding.

I wondered if they had any support while I was growing up. Did they haveanyone that they could relate to while raising a child with this condition?That gave me the beginning ideas about what would become Hydro with Hope. Mywife, Catherine, and I started brainstorming how we might be able to helppeople. We ultimately decided to join the online community on social media(primarily Facebook and Instagram at the time), and we started our own privategroup.

The idea behind this was to be able to reach people all around the worldand let them know that, despite the scariness of brain surgery and the ensuingchallenges of living with hydrocephalus, there's HOPE.” He joined me this weekto tell me more.