Meet Doug who is taking on the ‘nine’ peak challenge in three days to raise money for Hydrocephalus team at The Walton Centre

Former patient of The Walton Centre is off on a mission to raise much needed funds for the hospital that saved his life

Ten years ago, Doug Johnson started to experience blurred vision, headaches and nausea. Medical investigations revealed that he had hydrocephalus – a condition where a build-up of excess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the brain compresses the surrounding tissue, raising the pressure inside the skull. At the time Doug was fitted with a device which controlled the fluid in his brain, but recently experienced complications.

Doug said: “About a year ago the device failed and I was rushed into hospital. The Walton Centre fixed it, but at Christmas I was starting to feel worse and knew it was hydrocephalus again. It turned out the fluid wasn’t draining properly, so I was fitted with two shunts, which drain the excess CSF into my abdominal cavity to be reabsorbed into the bloodstream. I cannot thank the team enough for all of their support, especially over the last year with the pandemic going on.

“The service from all the nurses and doctors was impeccable. From consultations, scans, quick diagnosis, operations and the many many check-ups, I owe this hospital everything as things could have been a lot different. That’s why I want to try and give something back.”

The 33 year old from Chester is tackling the three Welsh peaks challenge three times over three days in May 2022 to raise money for The Walton Centre Charity. Doug will climb Snowdon, Cadair Idris & Pen Y fan each day for three days to complete the challenge.

Doug added: “In particular, I’ve asked for the money I raise to go to the hydrocephalus team, so that they can continue to do the brilliant work for patients they continue to do, regardless of the pressure.”

Read more about Doug’s challenge and how you can donate here.