City Treasurer Marie Laflamme reads a proclamation at the hydrocephalus flag raising event.
Reminder Publishing photos by Tyler Garnet
CHICOPEE — On Sept. 4, the city of Chicopee hosted a flag raising ceremony to bring awareness to hydrocephalus, a neurological condition that affects people of all ages.
Hydrocephalus is a condition that occurs when there is an abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. Left untreated, it can lead to brain damage or be fatal.
The flag raising event was to help raise awareness and educate the public about the condition, its symptoms, and the importance of early intervention. The ceremony also honored those living with hydrocephalus and highlighted the critical work being done by the Pediatric Hydrocephalus Foundation, Inc. to find a cure.
Isabella Sacharczyk, who requested the flag raising, is the Massachusetts chapter director and board member with the Pediatric Hydrocephalus Foundation.
Besides being a chapter director and board member, Sacharczyk also has hydrocephalus which has led her to having 23 brain surgeries throughout her life.
She said, “My journey started as an infant when I was diagnosed with E. coli bacterial meningitis and the damage from the meningitis resulted in a stroke and the damage from the stroke and the meningitis resulted in my condition called hydrocephalus.”
Currently the only treatment is brain surgery and Sacharczyk is doing her part to help with research and raising awareness.
She talked about her conditions and said, “I struggle with walking, my balance is off, I deal with headaches on the daily basis. Hydrocephalus is not a one and done surgery or condition; it’s a daily struggle.”
Sacharczyk just graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology and is pursuing a career in research. She is working on a grant application for a post bachelor position to work with Boston Children’s Hospital for one to two years doing hydrocephalus research before she starts her Ph.D.
She added, “In which I will pursue a career in academia afterward so that I can educate the next generation of doctors, nurses, physicians about hydrocephalus because it’s a condition that is not well known. Even when I go into the hospital, I find myself explaining my condition and all that goes into having a malfunction.”
Sacharczyk also talked about what makes the Pediatric Hydrocephalus Foundation so great to her.
She said, “The reason the foundation is so dear to my heart is because our main focus is education and funding handpicked research projects as well as supporting our researchers and future researchers with grants and scholarships so that we help move current research forward as well as support those individuals entering the research career.”
Sacharczyk is a recipient of one of the foundations scholarships and she said she is honored to be a part of a foundation that’s sole purpose is raising awareness and raise funds for hydrocephalus research.
As a Massachusetts chapter, all the money is donated to Boston Children’s Hospital.
Besides doing a bunch of research and trying to deal with her condition, Sacharczyk described how her journey could have looked a lot different early on in her life.
She said, “I wasn’t supposed to be able to do all of these things. After I was diagnosed with Hydrocephalus and had the stroke, developed E. coli bacterial meningitis, my parents were told that I’d never talk, walk, see, hear and they actually advised my parents to put me in a home for the mentally and physically disabled because I wouldn’t amount to anything. Fortunately, they didn’t do that, and my mom worked with me tirelessly and I owe my success completely to my mom because I wouldn’t be here today without her fighting for me and teaching me to be an advocate.”
City Treasurer Marie Laflamme presented a proclamation to Sacharczyk on behalf of the city to declare September as Hydrocephalus Month.
Laflamme added, “I’d like to urge all citizens to recognize and raise awareness of this important health condition and support an ongoing research effort and extend the compassion and understanding to those affected by hydrocephalus.”
For more information, readers can visit Pediatric Hydrocephalus Foundation, Inc. on Facebook or their website at hydrocephaluskids.org.
