Wesley

Living With Hydrocephalus: Wesley’s Journey From the Football Field to Advocacy

My hydrocephalus story in a nutshell goes like this. I was born with hydrocephalus, the doctors later told me, but it went undetected. The only reason I discovered I had hydrocephalus was that when I was sixteen, and a freshman in high school, I decided to play football for the first time. There is and always will be hard hits, headaches, etc. from playing the game. So as I was playing, I just thought my headaches were par for the course of life as a football player, and nothing more than that. But one Saturday morning, after a Friday night game, I woke up with a minor headache. I treated it with Advil and just went about my day. However, the next two Sunday mornings I woke up with an extreme throbbing headache that lasted for a couple of hours. I’ll never forget the excruciating pain that the headache caused me. The next day, instead of going to school, my mom took me to the hospital, where they ran several tests on my head. The doctors found out the reasons for all my bad headaches. They were not because of playing football. Turns out I was living my life with hydrocephalus. Something that, again, I would have never found out had I not played football for the first time.

The doctors told me good news and bad news. The good news was that they caught it and could start monitoring me for the rest of my life, and the bad news was that I could no longer play football. It was a crazy experience that I will never forget. I don’t know the type of hydrocephalus I have, but it must be a minor case of it because the doctors told me I didn’t need surgery or a shunt since I had been living my whole life with it. The only “treatment” I get is that I have to get MRIs performed every year to monitor the pressure and to see if there are any changes. I do not have a shunt. I am blessed that the doctors caught it when they did, though.

Since my diagnosis, I strive to do as many things as I can. I am a college graduate from Hampton University. After I graduated, I became a physical education teacher at an elementary and middle school. I have been doing this job full-time for five years now. Even though hydrocephalus has limitations on certain things, I always remind myself this can’t stop me from living a prosperous and fulfilling life. I can still live out my dreams with hard work and dedication. Hydrocephalus won’t stop me!

Yes, there are certain things that hydrocephalus has stopped me from doing, like driving and playing football, but I have a good support system. There are other ways to get things done in my life, and instead of feeling sorry for myself, it just takes time to discover what my alternatives are. And that’s okay! I wouldn’t have it any other way! I love being a hydrocephalus warrior and advocate for the condition. It’s something I embrace and wear with pride!

This experience was so life-changing that I went on to write a book about it.  The book is called My Football Experience, and can be purchased on wesleyeggleston.com.

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Two Decades After Diagnosis: Living Proudly With Hydrocephalus

I am now thirty-three, and since my diagnosis, I have had an awakening. Now that I know what I know, I can live more freely, with understanding.

A huge example of this is my inability to drive. Once I read, and reread, and read again, about the difficulties people like me face with driving, such as stopping and starting or feeling anxious behind the wheel, I wasn’t mad at myself.. (All of this is outlined in a blog, From 0 to 60: Driving and Hydrocephalus, written by an adult living with hydrocephalus.

Instead of dwelling on it, I adapted. I found other means of transportation and surrounded myself with people who understand my situation.  Unfortunately, I still have many near, far, and in between, who still don’t understand my shortcomings when it comes to driving.

There’s also the aspect of being one of the people with hydrocephalus who is not shunted.

As a young adult who likes to go out and have a good time, whether it’s dancing or just moving around, the random stumble I tend to have can cause people to stop and stare and make me feel as if the world came to a standstill.

It can be perplexing at times, since people don’t understand what they just witnessed. I always have to reassure people that I’m okay. I don’t like to be “babied” about my condition, but I do appreciate it when others look out for me.

Since my diagnosis, hydrocephalus has redirected me; it hasn’t stopped me! That’s what I love to tell people. In fact, so much has come from finding out that I have it.

I can honestly go on and on, but all that to say this: despite the many things hydrocephalus has limited me from doing, I’ve still gone on to live a full and successful life.

I am a proud graduate of Hampton University, I’ve built a successful 16-year career as a teacher, and I am happily married to my wife, who understands and respects my limits that come with my hydrocephalus journey.

I’m also the author of the book My Football Story, where I share how it all happened and what it was like to learn about my diagnosis.

Even through all the hardships, I’ve come to see that I am who I am now because I truly know myself. Now and forever, I am a hydrocephalus warrior!

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Tell us about your journey with hydrocephalus!

Share your story of hope and perseverance with us! We will feature the amazing individuals in our community who are living life to the fullest regardless of their condition! Stories are reviewed by our staff and posted on our website and through social media. Stories should be no more than 800 words long. Click here to submit your story today!

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For questions, email: info@hydroassoc.org with the subject line “Share Your Story”.