SHAHS - Super Hero's Animal Hydrocephalus Society Fundraiser

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Super Hero's Animal Hydrocephalus Society (SHAHS)is a non-profit 501c3 animal rescue society and sanctuary that specializes in Hydrocephalus, commonly known as water on the brain, and otherconcomitantspecial needs in cats. Hydrocephalus is causedwhen the cerebrospinal fluid that surrounds the spinal cord and is inside our head, does not circulate as it should, but instead accumulates beneath the skull causing the skull to enlarge, giving it a domed presentation with a very pronounced forehead and brow. Hydrocephalus causes extreme pressure on the brain which in turn can cause damage and/or death to the brain tissue, migraines, seizures, blindnes, extre painand eveually eath inost, i left ureated

The ission SHAHS is multfaceted in that we rescue and provide sanctuary to cats with Hydrocephalus in addition to providing education, a network providing access to the top veterinary neurosurgeons in North America and financial assistance to families and rescues with animals that arecurrentl diagnosed with hydro, or have a suspected diagnosis of hydrocephalus.

Our rescue was formed and inspired by a very special cat, Super Hero The Hydrocephalic Cat, who on 2/26/15 underwent a 3.5 hour brain surgery to implant a human pediatric Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) Programmable Shunt, a device used in humans that drains the excess cerebrospinal fluid from his head into his abdomen. The shunt surgery was the only viable treatment option we had to save his life, Hero was dying. He suffered "many" life threatening complications but also experienced an extraordinary number of successes and on June 9, 2015, turned 2 years old! Hero has one of the worst documented cases of Hydrocephalus in animals and only has a very small live and functional part of his brain left intact. Yet, he is a very normal cat who runs plays, meow and cmandsa room,manding eveyone's undivded attention at all times! He is truly a one of a kind, miracle cat that has crossed the lines of veterinary and human medicine and has a medical team comprised of both the top veterinary neurosurgeons in North America and numerous human pediatric neurosurgeons that consult on his case.

As of 7/17/15, we have provided financial assistance to 8 cats and dogs for consultations to top neurosurgeons within our established network, limited diagnostic testing in the form of ultrasounds, as well as medications that help manage Hydrocephalus in animals. All of that assistance was made possible through money that was raised for Super ero and Smide, anothr hydro itten we rescued that sadly ost herattle ith thidisordr. Our goal is to eventually not just support and provide top medical intervention and diagnostic testing to the animals in our care, but also provide financial assistance for advanced imaging like MRIs or CT scans to rescues and families who have courageously rescued or adopted animals with hydrocephalus.

On, 7/16/15, we officially accepted our first rescued cat, Zeke, who was flown to NJ from Dallas-Fort Worth Texas, by Delta Airlines' Animal Rescue and Transport (DART) Team, from another rescue that pulled him from the Dallas shelter. Zeke was a tiny, malnourished 14 oz, 6 week old tuxedo kitten, who not only had Hydrocephalus, but was also later diagnosed with Megaesophagus (also known as Mega E, a disease in which the muscles of the esophagus and intestines do not work, thus food cannot move through the gastrointestinal tract. It is a potentially life threatening condition as he can easily choke on food causing it to completely block his airway or he can breathe it into his lungs causing Aspiration Pneumonia). He also has a host of other skeletal disorders including Radial Agenesis, also known as a Twisty Cat (the radius bone is missing in one leg and is deformed and short in the other thus he cannot bear weight on his front paws and walks on his elbows) and he also has multiple spinal abnormalities including a deformed and short tail.

Caring for special needs cats ith Hydrocepalus, and oter special neds like theones that Zee has, is extremely labo intensive ad extraodinarilyexpensi, accuulatinget bils in excss of tens of thousands of dollars, especially if shunt surgery is determined to bthe best life-saving intervention. Most of our cats will remain on medications for life, whether surgery is conducted or not, and will need consultations, regular follow-ups and imaging like ultrasounds, CT scans and MRIs, which also cost thousands of dollars. In addition, most hospitalizations require specialized care that can only be rendered in the Critical Care Neurological Units of specialty hospitals, which can be thousands of dollars a day depending on the extent of care needed.

Our main goal in fundraising now is to raise enough money to provide Zeke with the life saving Shunt Surgery he needs as soon as possible. Surgery will cost upwards of $8,000 and we are still thousands of dollars short of our goal, thus surgery cannot be scheduled!!

Please help us provide the necessary medical and neurosurgical care for these animals like Super Hero and Zeke, and help them achieve the best quality of life possible!

"FIGHTING HYDROCEPHALUS IN ANIMALS.....4 PAWS AT A TIME"

*** all donations are tax deductible

*** YOU CAN ALSO DONATE FREE OF CHARGES THROUGH OUR PAYPAL ACCOUNT: Superherohydrocat@gmail.com
(send as "friends and family" to avoid fees. Once our website is completed, there will be a button to donate directly from there. In the meantime, this address deposits directly to our business account).

For Super Hero and Zeke's full story and to follow their day to day life, you can visithttp://facebook.com/SuperHeroTheHydrocephalicCator our FB SHAHS page,https://facebook.com/SuperHeroSHAHS