We have finally decided on a cake pop that we want to promote as a fundraiser for Intracranial Hypertension (IH) Awareness! Trust me, that's big news 'cause we've been wracking our brains for two months over this.
Intracranial Hypertension is a condition in which the body produces more cerebrospinal fluid than it needs. Cerebrospinal fluid is that liquid in our skulls that cushions the brain and keeps it from getting all dented up and banged around in there. Well, if there's too much of that fluid it pushes on the brain -- essentially squeezing it -- causing severe headache, dizziness & balance issues, and even blindness.
IH is also called Pseudotumor Cerebri (PTC) because it seems like there's a tumor in the brain but there isn't. In fact, to test for the condition they first rule out the presence of an actual brain tumor. Only 1 in like 100,000 people get this condition, and my youngest daughter Kathleen seems to be one of them. Just her luck, eh? :P
Anyway, they're still running test after test and trying med after med to figure this thing out for her. We're hoping it really isn't IH that she has, but so far most arrows point there so we're gonna go with it until we hear something new. And hopefully the something new isn't something worse or harder to live with. She's learned to deal with the pain and other frustrating complications, and doesn't let them get in her way. The toughest thing -- and I'm sure Kat will agree -- is that she doesn't LOOK sick. This condition doesn't show, so people often don't believe her when she says she's having what we call a "bad head" day. Sad, I know!
We're approaching her 2-year anniversary of nonstop headache (a dubious milestone, I admit!) and the only diagnosis that seems to make even a little sense is IH. Though in her case it's IIH -- Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension -- because they don't know what caused it. Regular IH, apparently, is cause by head trauma. Left untreated or undertreated for too long it could result in brain damage, loss of sight, or other not-so-fun stuff, which is why you always see people with possible head injuries rushed off to the ER. Don't mess with head injuries! Icky things will result!
So in doing our research over the past couple of years, we found the IHRF website that's dedicated to raising awareness and finding a cure for IH. We've made friends in the IH community through this awesome invention known as the Internet, and we've found out that there is a whole network of support among IH sufferers. Don't you just love the Internet! :D
One of the things we found is that the "official" colors of IH Awareness are blue and green. It's in the spirit of the IH Awareness colors that we found our inspiration for the IH Awareness cake pops -- they're Classic vanilla bean cake colored (you guessed it) blue and green, blended with yummy buttercream frosting. The outside can be customized to match any theme or color scheme. And when your guests bite into the pops and see the blue and green cake, you'll get to tell them that you're raising awareness and funds for a great cause by just buying those uber-delicious and fun cake pops that they hold in their hands! It's a win-win!
So what does IHRF get out of these cake pops, you ask? We are giving them a portion of the sale price on all the IH Awareness cake pops that we sell. We hope that our little contribution to the cause will help fund the research needed to find a cure for this often debilitating condition.
If you know anyone who's celebrating a big day (or even just because), send them a box of IH Awareness cake pops! Together, we can find a cure!
~ Pia
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