Gabriel's Life

Gabrel's Life

The goal of Gabriel’s Life is to serve as a source of information, create hope and inspiration, and help build a community through the shared voices and stories of people living with hydrocephalus.

Hydrocephalus impacts the lives of countless people, and there is no cure. However, through sharing our stories and experiences, and interacting with each other, we can bring our collective knowledge and ideas together to improve and save more lives.

Whether you are a parent, pediatrician, grandchild, or someone who has been touched in any way by hydrocephalus, this is your community. Thank you for being a part of it, your participation will help Gabriel’s Life grow and flourish.

Read Gabriel’s Story

Things to do at Gabriel's Life

The following tools will let you share your stories, communicate with other members of Gabriel's Life, and provide valuable information. Thank you for being a part of the Gabriel’s Life community.

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Katelyn’s Journey

Author: katesmom on July 1st, 2010

My daughter Katelyn was born on October 9, 2007 at 36 weeks & weighed 5 pounds, 8 ounces. She was such a beautiful baby with olive colored skin and jet black hair. She struggled a bit to breathe at first and couldn’t maintain a warm enough body temperature, but the hospital kept her in a warmer in our room. The first few weeks were a struggle, something just didn’t seem right, but everything came back normal until she was 12″

Hydrocephalus Complications on Grey’s Anatomy

In ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy’s, the terrifying malfunction of a child’s shunt is featured. Fifty percent of shunts fail within the first two years of their use, making shunt surgery the “bread and butter” of Neurosurgery. We appreciate Grey’s Anatomy for including hydrocephalus in its story line. Thank you for increasing awareness of this common and very complicated disease.

Hydrocephalus In Grey’s Antomy Storyline.

Over the span of the ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy series, Hydrocephalus has been included in the storyline several times. In last night’s episode, (May 5, 2011) two of the main characters, Derrick and Meredith, consider adopting a baby with Hydrocephalus. The following clip from last night’s episode, explains that children born with Spina Bifida often develop Hydrocephalus.

Potential seen in invention for child hydro patients

Scientists with the Van Andel Research Institute believe a new invention that “mimics” a patient’s internal environment could better help treatment of child hydrocephalus patients. Working with researchers at the University of Utah, scientists at the Michigan-based institute studied a number of different shunts working “under a variety of conditions by creating a bioreactor that mimics the environment inside patients.” “Tragically, practically all patients with hydrocephalus are at risk for shunt malfunctions, which invariably produce more brain injury, and most”

How can health care law begin helping hydro patients, today?

Today marked the official start of several key provision of President Barack Obama and the Democratic Congress’s recently-passed health care reform bill. However, as one Glendale News-Press commentator wrote, some enacted measures potentially present exciting developments for patients and families dealing with child hydrocephalus. “As a mother of a young child with hydrocephalus, a lifelong, life-threatening medical condition, all I can say is ‘Hallelujah!’” exclaims Shannon Raghavachary, a contributor to the Press. Among the health care reform provisions she feels benefits”

Sticker Campaign

Tonight, ABC will air the season premier of their hospital drama “Grey’s Anatomy.” On the same day, Gabriel’s Life will launch a campaign to get a Gabriel’s Life sticker on the prime time television show. How you can help. * Buy the stickers. Buy three Gabriel’s Life stickers for $12. We will send you two stickers. Keep one and give the other to your favorite doctor or nurse, take a picture of them with the sticker and email it Gabriel’s”

Using the new Gabriel’s Life

We’ve made some changes to the site, which you can read about here. We put together a quick video to show you what you’re able to do with the new and improved Gabriel’s Life!