Little Falls Penguins Take Flight in 2016 Swim for Hydrocephalus!

Once again, the mighty Penguins of the Little Falls Swim Team have risen to the challenge!

Braving temperatures of up to 105 degrees on land, this wonderful group of swimmers from Bethesda, MD have taken to the water to raise funding and awareness for Hydrocephalus.

More than 60 swimmers participated in this years fantastic fundraiser, and they have already raised more than $5,000!  Support them here!!!! 

Thank you, Little Falls!

Little Falls 2016

Dolphins Dash Over 19 Miles for Hydrocephalus!!

Giving new meaning to the word “TEAMWORK” the Dorset Dolphin Swim team of Marietta, Georgia took to their pool this past Saturday to take part in the Dolphin Dash–Swim for Hydrocephalus. Swimming as hard as they could  for an hour and a half, over 30 young age-group swimmers, a few coaches, and even some amazing parents from this summer rec swim team, worked and swam together to raise $3,701 (and counting!) for hydrocephalus research!!  In the process, this incredible group also raised much needed awareness about this life-threatening condition within their community.
Team Hydro could not be more proud of this amazing Team! 
The Dolphin Swim Team, which competes in May and June every year, devoted a Saturday morning to this great event.  During the Dash, the teammates (aged 4-18), learned more about hydrocephalus, swam hard, and even took time to make handmade cards for children hospitalized with the condition.  The Dolphin Dash was led by Team Parent Anna Beck, who knows first hand the importance of raising awareness and research funds for research–Anna’s own daughter, is currently living with shunted hydrocephalus (and until, she broke her arm the week before the swim, had planned to participate in the Dash). The team’s passion for funding a cure for hydrocephalus was fueled by the fact that 2 swimmers on the team, as well as the nephew of one of the coaches, are all currently living with the condition.
Team Hydro salutes the Dorset Dolphins–we are so grateful for your willingness to use your strength to serve others, by holding the Dolphin Dash–Swim for Hydrocephalus Research!!
It’s not too late to donate to the Dolphin Dash!! To add your important contribution to this great cause:  donate here!
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First Dolphin Dash for Hydrocephalus a HUGE Success!

First Dolphin Dash — Swim for Hydrocephalus A HUGE Success!!
On Saturday, June 11, 2016 30 swimmers, parent and, coaches joined to gather to raise over $3,701 (and counting) for hydrocephalus research!!  By swimming a total of over 19 miles in just an hour and a half, these great swimmers certainly demonstrated the passion that motivates every Team Hydro Swimmer!! The team held the event at the Dorset Swim Club in Marietta, Georgia!  It was a special day all around!  Families gathered and cheered, a young DJ motivated the swimmers and crowd, and the kids even decorated cards to share with hospitalized hydrocephalus patients!  It was wonderful to see the team come together and use their strength to serve others!!
Team Hydro congratulates every swimmer, donor, and on-land supporter who helped to make this event such a wonderful success!  Every penny raised will now be used to fund important research for this currently incurable condition!!  Thanks to you, we are now closer to a cure!!
Take a look at the pictures below and see just how fun raising awareness and funds for hydrocephalus can be!!
Thank you Dolphins!!

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Little Falls Swims Again!

  Penguins to Swim for Hydrocephalus in 2016!

That’s right!  On July 14th of this year the Little Falls Swim Team of Bethesda, Maryland will take to the water  to Swim for Hydrocephalus Research for an amazing 5th year in a row!  

This phenomenal group of age-group swimmers, coaches (and parents) will generously put aside their individual and team goals on this day as they dedicate one whole practice to raising awareness and research funds in support of those currently living with hydrocephalus!  The team also swims in of a former teammate who passed from complications of this devastating disease!

In addition to completing the Swim, and raising funds, throughout the summer, (under the guidance of parent coordinator Sarah Farnsworth),  the Team will take part in all sort of activities designed to increase the Teams understanding of the condition and to spread awareness in the community and beyond.  They will be:  learning about hydrocephalus, hearing stories about and wearing bracelets in memory or honor of children and adults with the condition, making cards for patients in hospitals around the country, selling “hydrate for hydrocephalus” water bottles at meets, and generally spreading the word of the critical need for increased hydrocephalus research!

Team Hydro could not be more  proud of this great group of swimmers, coaches and parents!  We are honored to have Penguins in our Team Hydro family!!

We wish you great luck in your season, and in your efforts to support Hydrocephalus Research! 

Go Team Hydro! Go Little Falls! 

Together, let’s FUND a cure!

To learn more about the Little Falls Swim for Hydrocephalus, see the Little Falls page on this site.

You can Donate to the Penguin Swim here:http://teamhydro.kintera.org/GoLF

Team Hydro Research Update!!

Team Hydro remains proud that every penny we raise through our swims goes directly to research! (And we mean every penny–as we ensure our costs are underwritten through other means).
As the 2016 swim season begins, and we gear up to find sponsors for our swims, we’d like to mention some of the important research  Team Hydro dollars are already working to benefit!
When reviewing projects for sponsorship, Team Hydro seeks out research looking to find cure-based, or non-surgical treatments for hydrocephalus. We are proud to be working with some of the most cutting-edge labs in the world, both here in the United States, and one as far away as Australia!
Right now, thanks to Team Hydro swimmers, on-land supporters, and donors:
Researchers  at Washington University in St Louis, are looking at how specific drugs reduce the neuroinflamation that occurs following a brain hemorrhage, in hopes of preventing hydrocephalus from developing in patients like Kate (whose illness inspired team hydro), and sweet 5 year old Lilly, from the Dorset Dolphin Team!
Scientists at University of Illinois at Chicago, who have already made important discoveries leading to better understanding of fluid exchange in the brain, are seeking to develop a (non-surgical) molecular shunt for curing hydrocephalus.
At Indiana University/Purdue U, Indiana, a team of researchers are on the way to developing what could very well be the first drug treatment for hydrocephalus.
Finally, research being done at an amazing center in Queensland, Australia is providing crucial insights into the molecular formulation of hydrocephalus– they created a new technique which studies how changes in specific neural cells cause hydrocephalus to develop as the brain develops. This important work is paving the way for even more new strategies and treatments designed to ameliorate this difficult condition once and for all!
Team Hydro is grateful to each and every one of our swimmers, donors, and researchers–
Thanks to YOU, we are certain that one day, a CURE will be found!!

 

Welcome Team Hydro 2016…and, Sharks and Dolphins to Unite!

The summer months are upon us, and with them comes Swim Season!!! Team Hydro is thrilled to announce that we will once again be participating in BOTH the Sharkfest Alcatraz Escape (sold out) and the Boston Harbor (sign up here) Open Water Swims in our attempt to raise awareness and funds for hydrocephalus research!
 
Team Hydro will also be sponsoring several other swim-related events for Hydrocephalus, including a new event with the Dorset Dolphin Swim Team of East Cobb County, Georgia!  (You can donate to their cause HERE!)
 
This amazing group of swimmers from the Dorset Community Swim Team will hold the:  
Dolphin Dashswim for hydrocephalus on June 11!  In this new event, members of this age-group swim team will join together (with any willing parents and friends) to swim as many miles they can while raising much needed awareness and funds for hydrocephalus research!
 
As they swim, the team will be especially thinking of two members of their own team who are currently living with shunted hydrocephalus–5 year old, Lilly, and 7-year old Parker!!  
 
More info on the event and this incredible swim team will follow–In the meantime, 
Team Hydro proudly welcomes the Dorset Dolphins to our Team Hydro Family!!  
 
We are so proud and grateful that you are using swimming to serve others!! 
If you are going to be swimming in the Dolphin Dash, see here for more information on the cause, frequently asked questions, and tips for raising funds: http://tinyurl.com/DolphinDashFAQ  Thank you!
Clearly, great things are in store for Team Hydro this Summer and Fall! 
Our individual swimmer, online donation site will be up later this week–keep an eye out!
 
Thanks to all our swimmers, on-land supporters, and donors for your help and support!  We can’t wait to see you in, on, or by the water!!!
 
Go Team Hydro!!

Only 2 Days Left in 2015!

Dear Team Hydro,

This year has been a wonderful one for Team Hydro, including an exciting announcement that we will sponsor four new grants for innovation in Hydrocephalus research. The work sponsored by these grants will have immediate applications in both basic research and therapeutic development and validation.

To all who contributed to making these grants a reality — be it via donation, swimming, or spreading the word to others — please accept our sincerest thanks.

As the year draws to a close, please consider making a calendar year-end donation!  As always, donations are tax-deductible, are promised to go 100% to research, and will help make a difference in the lives of millions of people — last chance to support in 2015!!

Happy Holidays!
The Finlayson Family

Success at Boston Harbor!

Some 40 Team Hydro swimmers raced across the Boston Harbor today in one of our most successful swims to date!

Harbor HydroSharks included a developmental neurobiologist from Harvard who specializes in Hydrocephalus-related work, medical students and researchers from Harvard Medical school and MIT, industry experts at pharmaceutical companies Biogen and Genentech, competitive triathletes, nurses, employees of the Harvard Business School, and family members of Hydrocephalus patients!

Team Hydro was also well represented on the award podium, with third time Team Hydro swimmer Thomas Norris coming in second for the swim overall, and nearly 10 swimmers receiving medals in their individual age groups.

Most importantly, funding and much awareness was raised for this important cause.  (But we’re not done yet — donate here!  tinyurl.com/THdonate2015)

THANK YOU to all who made today great, and stay tuned for further updates and pictures from this wonderful event!

Team Hydro to Sponsor HANDS Innovator Awards!

Team Hydro is proud to announce it will sponsor one or more 2015 Innovator Awards through the Hydrocephalus Association Network for Discovery Science  (H.A.N.D.S).

These awards will be given to investigators who develop projects designed to further “understanding of disease mechanisms and the identification and pre-clinical testing of therapies to prevent or reverse all forms of hydrocephalus. The goal of this award initiative is to provide seed funding for bold and innovative research with the potential to transform the field of hydrocephalus through the understanding of disease mechanisms and the development of novel therapies.”

Applications for the Awards have been solicited and submitted.  Awards will be announced in mid-October!

Thank you for supporting Team Hydro  in its mission to fund  Hydrocephalus Research!!

More info on H.A.N.D.S. and the Innovator Awards can be found here:
http://hands.hydroassoc.org

Support the cause with a general donation here:
Note: if you’re swimming TH Boston Harbor, be sure to set up your fundraising page, or at least share this general donation link: http://tinyurl.com/thdonate2015!

 

Boston “Hah-bah” Swim on September 19th!

Team Hydro’s Third Annual Boston Harbor swim takes place on September 19th.  Come meet, greet, celebrate, and support the cause from around 7-11am at the finish line by the John Joseph Moakly US Courthouse!  We’d love to see you with us in the Hah-bah (as the locals say)!  Some swim spots still available, so let us know if you’d like to take the plunge: info@teamhydro.org

In addition to the Hah-Bah plunge, Team Hydro swims from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco annually, and participates in other open water swims as well (including Washington DC, and Boston), to raise funds and awareness for Hydrocephalus Research. We work in conjunction with the non-profit Hydrocephalus Association, (a 401(3)c organization and are proud to report that every penny we receive from donations goes 100% to research!

Inspired by the courage and grace of their sister Kate as she battled hydrocephalus, and frustrated by the outdated treatments and lack of awareness and research, brothers Peter and Sam Finlayson decided to turn their concern and feelings of helplessness into action. With the help of friends they formed Team Hydro in 2008 and began swimming in the Sharkfest Escape from Alcatraz Open Water Swim to raise money for Research. The Team worked and grew for several years, and just months before Kate’s death, Team Hydro raised enough funds to sponsor the first ever, Team Hydro/Kate Finlayson Research Grant.

Today, Team Hydro continues the fight against Hydrocephalus in Kate’s honor (and honestly, in honor of ALL who suffer from hydrocephalus), and humbly accepts contributions toward future research grants in her name. The Finlayson Family continues to underwrite all TeamHydro expenses, so that every penny donated to Team Hydro goes directly and completely to Research!!

Why are Team Hydro Swimmers willing to jump into the water to promote Hydrocephalus Research?!

Because…

…Hydrocephalus affects over 1 million Americans and there is no Cure!

…People “survive” cancer, stroke, and traumatic brain injury, only to later DIE from resultant hydrocephalus.

…60% of children diagnosed with hydrocephalus will never live independently!

…1 in 3 shunts (the most common form of treatment) will fail within a year of implantation, requiring more brain surgery to repair/replace the device!

…Up to 20% of Older adults experiencing dementia and thought to have Alzheimer’s, may actually have a TREATABLE form of Hydrocephalus, misdiagnosed due to lack of awareness!

….Shunt implantations for hydrocephalus are the most common cause of brain surgery in children!

These facts, and more like them, are why we swim!!!
Hydrocephalus remains an incurable and under-researched condition!!
Help us make a difference!
Donate TODAY!
http://tinyurl.com/TeamHydroDonate2015

Thank you for helping improve the lives of millions currently living with hydrocephalus as we endeavor to fulfill Kate’s dream that one day, no more people will need to suffer and lose their lives to the difficult, life-threatening, and currently incurable condition!!

Team Hydro–Taking a bite out of Hydrocephalus—One Stroke at a Time!

To Join Us as a Swimmer–check out the pages describing our Swims and sign up! Feel free to email us: info@teamhydro.org