Reagan Sloane Shanley Scholarship

Pediatric Hydrocephalus Foundation, Inc.

The scholarship is named in honor of Connecticut resident Reagan Shanley, 5 ½ years old, who was diagnosed with hydrocephalus at 9 months and had two brain surgeries before she turned 18 months. Reagan was treated with an Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy (ETV) which is an alternative surgical procedure that creates a bypass for the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the head and eliminates the need for a shunt. A shunt, the most common treatment for hydrocephalus, is a silicone tube used to divert CSF. Funding will be awarded to the selected candidates during one of the following distribution cycle; April or October.

While shunts may be lifesaving, they are permanent mechanical devices and fail for a variety of reasons over the course of a patient’s life. Reagan’s parents Tim and Cindy Shanley (CT State Chapter Directors of the PHF) remain optimistic that Reagan’s condition will continue to be successfully managed with the ETV. However, their experience with Reagan, as well as seeing the struggles that fellow hydrocephalus families have with the 50+ year old shunt treatment, has made them realize that better “work-arounds” are needed.

The Shanleys are committed to inspiring the next generation of scientists to find advancements in the treatment of hydrocephalus so that Reagan and all of the other children who suffer from this condition can lead better lives.