Charlie Pope was only six months old when his parents learned their son had a condition that caused swelling within his skull and placed increased pressure on his brain and his eyes, resulting in vision problems. He was cross-eyed from a young age, with damaged motor abilities.
But thanks to the intervention of Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, Charlie is now a normal two-year-old, able to run, speak, give high-fives and adroitly operate his mom’s iPhone.
As a celebration of his good health, Charlie and his parents, Matt and Jen Pope of Redondo Beach, were invited to a preview of the Los Angeles Zoo and CHLA’s Dreamnight event, which gives child patients and their families an opportunity to hang out behind the scenes and enjoy special tours with animals and zookeepers.
During the preview day, Charlie met with Misty, a 24 year old harbor seal at the L.A. Zoo who, similarly, had severe vision problems — though hers were due to cataracts, according to zookeeper Andrea Delegal.
Following cataract surgery, Misty went from having no vision to being fully-sighted again, and has her health regularly checked on and maintained by keepers. “I think it’s a good inspiration for kids — these guys are doing so well, they’re going to school, basically every day…I think it serves as a good visual for kids to see that, even though these animals are impaired, they’re still able to do everything they can,” said zookeeper Andrea Delegal.
Diagnosed with hydrocephalus, Charlie underwent an emergency procedure at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles to implant a shunt in his brain, allowing the excess fluid to drain into his abdomen, according to Dr. Gordon McComb, Chief Emeritus of Neurosurgery at CHLA.
“If there is increased resistance to the fluid draining from the head, it builds up — it’s as if you place a dam across a river,” he said. Hydrocephalus, which occurs “once or twice per thousand live births,” has a pronounced effect on children, causing enlargement of the head, as sutures in the skull are not yet formed.
The blockage, McComb said, was the result of bleeding in his head “at or about the time of birth.” Blood products blocked the drainage system, building the “dam” within Charlie’s head.
“The little guy has been through a lot,” said Charlie’s father, Matt Pope. Along with the initial shunt implantation surgery, he’s had two corrective surgeries to ensure the shunt is working correctly. Charlie also underwent eye surgery at sixteen months — and according to his parents, he began taking his first steps within days of his recovery.
“There’s no cure for what he has, but he’s treated and he’s been doing great, knock on wood,” Pope said. Though Matt and Jen are huge sports fans (Matt works with a sports marketing firm; Jen works with the L.A. Kings), they’ll probably limit his participation in full-contact sports. “But he loves tennis,” Matt said, laughing.
“Now Charlie’s back on the scale for his height and bodyweight. We’re extremely lucky to have the type of care that we’ve had.”
To support Dreamnight, visit chla.org/dreamnight.
