Jeff was born in Ft. Collins, CO. When he was 2 weeks old, it was confirmed that he had hydrocephalus and aqueductal stenosis. After confirming the diagnosis, Jeff had his first brain surgery. Over the next few years, he had several surgeries, most related to hydrocephalus through about age 10. When he was 18, the summer after graduating from high school, he had a couple more hydrocephalus-related surgeries (one of which was a revision). Following high school, Jeff traveled the world for a year as a singer with a group called Up with People, became a productive, working adult, married Catherine, and we now have 3 amazing children that are growing up way too fast.
Between 2013 and 2022, he had 6 more surgeries - 5 of them were directly related to hydrocephalus, and one was complicated by the fact that Jeff’s had so many other surgeries. Having 4 brain surgeries in 8 years took its toll and Jeff experienced several health challenges (migraines, cluster headaches, seizures, dizziness, and severe, involuntary ticks) which limited his ability to work and do a lot of things he loved to do. Despite all that, Jeff has started Hydro with Hope, a company born out of Jeff’s desire to serve the hydrocephalus community by offering tangible help and encouragement through online and in-person resources. They also endeavor to increase awareness of hydrocephalus and normalize hydrocephalus-related vocabulary for friends and family of hydrowarriors. To that end, Jeff & Catherine have created a journal called “My Hydrowarrior Story” designed to help people with hydrocephalus be able to record their journey from diagnosis to surgery and beyond. Jeff is also speaking to audiences to increase awareness and to share the recently-released journal with the world.
Find Jeff at:
FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/hydrowithhope
IG:
@hydrowithhope
Find more about Brain Wellness at: https://brainwellnesssolutions.com/
