MINNEAPOLIS, Minn -- Life isn't always fair. But Olivia Maccoux won't let a rare brain disease stop her from living.
The 20 year old has had more than 100 surgeries on her brain.
The Augsburg sophomore was born with a condition called hydrocephalus. The disease causes fluid to pool on the brain.
Next week she said surgeons will operate on her brain to remove an infected shunt.
“I trust my neurosurgeon, obviously with my life. He's probably done close to 120 surgeries on me,” she said. “The shunt is there to drain the right amount of fluid to make it even and that shunt is infected right now. It is working but not working to its full capacity."
One to two of every 1,000 babies are born with the diseases. That’s according to data on the www.hydroassoc.org.
But surgery is the last thing on her mind. She's focused on making the dean's list, again.
“I am going to try to do classes from the hospital when I can Skype into classes,” she said.
And once she recovers. Maccoux said she can’t wait to enjoy some of her favorite sports.
Playing soccer, hockey and swimming has helped with her headaches.
“It is an escape for me. It is weird. For some reason, when I play sports, specifically soccer my headaches -- they don’t like just go away ( but) I feel better,” she said. “I don’t know if that is a distraction or just the love of the game.”
To learn more about Maccoux visit http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/oliviamaccoux.