For younger readers · and whoever is reading with them

Nobody explained it to you properly, did they.

Grown-ups use long words and then say “it's complicated”. Here it is in short words, with pictures that move. You can watch on your own, or make someone sit and watch with you.

Short films

Each one is under a minute. None of them has anything scary in it, and none of them shows an operation.

Watch Watch now 28 sec The water around your brain What the fluid does, what happens when it cannot drain, and what a shunt is for. Watch the film →
Being made ~45 sec What a scan is actually like The noise, the tunnel, how long it takes, and why you have to stay still. Waiting on · radiographer review
Being made ~60 sec The day of an operation Who you meet, what the mask smells like, and where you wake up. No operation is shown. Waiting on · play specialist review
Planned ~40 sec Why a baby's head is soft How a skull grows in pieces, and what it means when one piece joins too early. Waiting on · guide sign-off
Planned ~35 sec Telling your friends What to say when someone asks about your scar, if you feel like saying anything at all. Waiting on · young people's panel

Things you might be wondering

These are real questions children ask. There is nothing silly on this list.

Did I do something to cause this?

No. Nothing you did, ate, thought or forgot to do made this happen. It is not a punishment and it is nobody's fault — not yours and not your parents'.

Can my friends catch it?

No. You cannot pass this to anyone by sitting near them, sharing food, or hugging them. It is not like a cold.

Will it hurt?

Some parts might, and some parts will not at all. The honest answer is that different bits feel different. It is fair to ask your doctor exactly which parts hurt and for how long — they should tell you the truth.

Will I be asleep for the operation?

Yes. You are properly asleep the whole way through and you will not feel it or remember it. Someone whose only job is keeping you asleep and safe stays with you the entire time.

Will I still be me afterwards?

Yes. The things that make you you — what you find funny, what you are good at, who you like — are not changed by this.

Why does everyone whisper about it?

Usually because they are worried and do not want to worry you. It is completely allowed to say “I would rather you just told me.”

If you are the grown-up

Watch it with them the first time

Children fill silence with the worst thing they can imagine. Watching together gives them somewhere to put the question they were going to ask at bedtime instead.

Please read before sharing

These are drafts

No film here has been checked by a paediatric neurosurgeon or a play specialist yet, and the diagrams are simplified on purpose rather than anatomically exact. They are safe to watch, but do not use them to answer a question about a specific child's treatment.

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