As the frigid, white-capped waves of the San Francisco Bay crashed upon their feet, Indiana University Indianapolis School of Science students Fatemeh Bidgoli, Verayna Newland and Cameryn Davis came to a realization: Their six months of training, tireless workouts and endless laps in the IU Natatorium were about to come to fruition.
The objective? Swim 1.8 miles, from Alcatraz Island to the San Francisco mainland. Not your typical swim, but this wasn’t a typical cause. The bands adorning their wrists — naming those who currently have or have passed away from hydrocephalus — reminded them of it.
Hydrocephalus is a quiet yet debilitating condition caused by an excessive amount of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. If left untreated, pressure builds up in the skull, causing a host of symptoms including headaches, double vision, personality changes, disabilities, mental impairment, coma and death.
There is no cure, and the only way to treat the condition is through invasive surgery to place shunts inside the brain to drain the excess fluid. However, the shunts run the risk of failing and, even worse, causing infection.
Grant and Pam Finlayson learned about the immense complications of hydrocephalus in a difficult way. Their daughter, Kate, spent all 26 years of her life dealing with the condition. Her final 10 years were spent mostly in the hospital, receiving more than 100 surgeries due to repeated shunt failures.
Before Kate’s passing, her brothers, Peter and Sam — frustrated by the lack of awareness and treatment options for hydrocephalus — created Team Hydro in 2008 to inspire and raise funds for hydrocephalus research. That same year, they made their first swim across the San Francisco Bay, raising more than $10,000.
Since then, the Alcatraz swim has become an annual tradition and is the reason Bidgoli, Newland and Davis found themselves dancing among the 54-degree waves of the early morning Pacific Ocean. Despite all their training, it presented a unique challenge.
“I was terrified,” Bidgoli said. “It was my first time swimming in open water, and the Bay was freezing and vast.
“The fear was real, but my purpose was even stronger. We pushed ourselves, knowing that this swim was about more than just personal achievement. It was about raising money for hydrocephalus research — something that I, as a researcher, felt deeply connected to. But training in a pool doesn’t prepare you for the cold, unpredictable waters of the San Francisco Bay.”
The trio are student researchers at the Hydrocephalus Research Center at the IU School of Science. Run by Bonnie Blazer-Yost, the center opened in fall 2023 due in large part to two grants awarded to her and fellow biology professor Teri Belecky-Adams. Totaling $11.7 million from the Department of Defense, the grants fund research to find drug treatments for hydrocephalus.
“Researching hydrocephalus has become a passion of mine,” Newland said. “Meeting people with hydrocephalus and hearing their stories has been highly impactful.
“Because of that, hydrocephalus research will always have a place in my heart. I hope that others will understand how important hydrocephalus research is and how impactful finding a cure will be.”
“What made it all bearable was seeing my principal investigator (Blazer-Yost) and the dean of the School of Science there on the sidelines, cheering me on,” Bidgoli said. “Their presence gave me the courage to keep going, and with every stroke, I felt their support.
“When I finally made it to the other side, it wasn’t just relief; it was a profound sense of accomplishment, knowing that we had done something that could help others. As a researcher, it reinforced that my work isn’t just confined to the lab; it’s about engaging with the world and doing whatever I can to push forward meaningful change.”
Their efforts helped raise $102,000, which will be used for two “seed” grants given to hydrocephalus researchers to cultivate projects in the hope that their work will be noticed and rewarded with larger grants from places like the National Institutes of Health. Blazer-Yost received these seed grants in 2015 and 2021, resulting in her currently funded work.
To date, Team Hydro has raised over $1 million for research.
“I want people to see that these swims aren’t just about athletic feats; they’re about hope, about giving those with hydrocephalus a chance at a better life,” Bidgoli said. “Right now, so many people with hydrocephalus have to endure invasive treatments just to manage their condition, and that’s something we need to change.”
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