Mary Ann’s Dance and More to Host PHF Hydrocephalus Awareness 5K and Family Fun Day

EASTHAMPTON — Mary Ann’s Dance and More will partner with the Pediatric Hydrocephalus Foundation (PHF), as well as Bella Sacharczyk, a 20-year-old living with hydrocephalus and survivor of 23 brain surgeries, on the fifth annual PHF Hydrocephalus Awareness 5K and Family Fun Day on Saturday, Sept. 21 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Mary Ann’s Dance and More, 396 Main St., Easthampton. The event will include music, dance performances, raffles, vendors, and more.

After enduring 23 brain surgeries, countless hours of physical therapy to learn to walk again, Sacharczyk just graduated high school with honors with a 3.94 average. She also received five scholarships. She is planning on going into the biology program at Holyoke Community College and then plans to attend UMass Amherst to get her Ph.D. in medical research. She hopes to someday work at Boston Children’s Hospital, which is doing research on her brain condition. Sacharczyk’s mission of raising awareness and money to fund research projects has resulted in the funding of $15,000 in research grants over the last two years.

The Pediatric Hydrocephalus Foundation, an all-volunteer, nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization, educates the community by raising the level of awareness about hydrocephalus and provides support to families, friends, and children affected by this brain condition.