{"id":33263,"date":"2023-07-19T09:41:27","date_gmt":"2023-07-19T13:41:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hydroassoc.org\/?p=33263"},"modified":"2024-10-14T13:50:23","modified_gmt":"2024-10-14T17:50:23","slug":"remarkable-journey-julia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hydroassoc.org\/remarkable-journey-julia\/","title":{"rendered":"The Remarkable Journey of One of America\u2019s Earliest Shunt Surgeries"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Article in the newspaper about the surgery in 1959.<\/p><\/div>\n

In 1957, Julia entered the world as a healthy infant. However, within a few days, her head appeared to be growing at an accelerated pace. Doctors soon discovered a birth-related injury obstructing the pathway through which fluid flows from the brain to the spinal cord. \u201cI had a cyst at the base of one ventricle and a blood clot at the base of another,\u201d Julia recalled. So, at just 19 days old, Julia had one of the first successful shunt surgeries in the United States.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By the time Julia was 2 \u00bd years old, she had four shunt revisions. \u201cAll of the revisions were as I grew,\u201d Julia said. Doctors knew she would eventually outgrow the original pipeline system. As part of a pioneer surgery in 1959, doctors replaced it with a new tubing in the belly that would allow for expansion as she got older.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen they sent the bill, my mother opened it and nearly fainted,\u201d Julia recalled. \u201cShe was hysterical, thinking they put the decimal in the wrong place. The bill for my very first surgery was only fifty dollars, and that was for the anesthesiologist. My folks were only 20, so it was like winning the lottery,\u201d Julia said. Grateful for the opportunity to gain knowledge, the doctors generously donated their time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One of those doctors was Dr. Stevens Dimant, who practiced neurosurgery in Seattle-Tacoma, WA, from 1957 to 1985.\u00a0\u201cDr. Dimant did my first six surgeries, and military doctors did my last three,\u201d said Julia. \u201cWhen I discovered I needed a seventh surgery, I told them nobody but Dr. Dimant had ever cut on me.\u201d Luckily, Julia\u2019s surgeon and Dr. Dimant were good friends. \u201cI called Dr. Dimant, and he said, \u2018Oh, don\u2019t worry about him. He knows his stuff. He\u2019s really good.\u2019 So, I let him do the surgery,\u201d Julia said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Overall, she has had nine shunt revisions, with the last one taking place in March 2009. \u201cTechnology has come so far, and my surgery has helped further treatment for generations,\u201d Julia said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Throughout her life, Julia has often wondered, why me? \u201cOf all the babies in the world, why was I saved? I believe God guided the doctors in repairing my body for a reason,\u201d she said. As a certified nursing assistant for 32 years, caring for others is one of the ways Julia has given back. \u201cI knew I had to do something to help other people,\u201d Julia said. \u201cI\u2019ve had so many people in my corner throughout my life. If they weren\u2019t there, I wouldn\u2019t have made it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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From the left, Julia’s granddaughter Hailey, son Brandon, Julia and husband Donald, daughter Yvonne and husband Jeff, and granddaughter Cheyanne.<\/p><\/div>\n

As Julia reminisces about her experience with hydrocephalus, she remembers the initial prognosis given to her family. \u201cThey told my parents I would never be normal. That I would never be able to walk, talk, or care for myself,\u201d Julia recalls. This has motivated Julia to share her story. \u201cI see people talk about their babies, and I always tell them, this is what happened to me,\u201d she said. As a mother, Julia understands new parents’ fears. \u201cI gave birth to two children, Yvonne and Brandon, and before Yvonne was born, I asked Dr. Dimant about having a child with my condition,\u201d Julia recalled. \u201cHe assured me my condition was due to an accident at birth, and I had as much chance of having a normal child as anybody else.\u201d With technological advances and more access to resources, Julia is optimistic about the future. \u201cNowadays, it\u2019s so fixable, so hang in there. There\u2019s hope that it will be okay.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

* Dr. Stevens Dimant (1919 \u2013 2007) practiced neurosurgery in the Seattle-Tacoma area from 1957 to 1985. In the early days he covered much of the Pacific Northwest as the primary responder to neurosurgical emergencies and trauma as well as elective surgery. He was a leader in his field, introducing several new neurosurgical concepts and innovative procedures, most of which are still an integral part of surgical practice today. (May 2007, <\/span><\/i>Obituary of Stevens Dimant<\/span><\/i><\/a>)<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n