Derek Young looked like any other baby when he was born in February 1994. But 3-1/2 months later, his mother Pamela noticed his head was slowly getting larger. Doctors diagnosed hydrocephalus, or fluid on the brain, and placed a shunt to drain the fluid. Fast forward 10 years when Derek needed a shunt revision. He was treated at the CHOC Neuroscience Institute and released.
However, six months later, Derek returned to CHOC with what appeared to be a failure of the original shunt. Neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Muhonen decided to perform a pioneering procedure called a third ventriculostomy in which he made a tiny hole in the wall of the third ventricle of the brain — allowing movement of fluid out of the blocked ventricle.
As a result of this extraordinary surgery, Derek no longer required a shunt nor did he or his mother need to live in constant fear of shunt failure. An avid swimmer, this procedure allowed him to continue to pursue his passion, including completing a Catalina-to-Long-Beach swim to raise money for CHOC.
Derek is now a 6’2” 20-year-old junior at Northern Arizona University studying to be an emergency room or intensive care unit nurse, a career directly inspired from his experience with CHOC. From the compassionate, skilled nurses who made him laugh to the expert, encouraging doctors who described the procedure in terms he could understand, Derek’s experience with CHOC was life-changing.
