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Kings team up to help one of their own

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Hockey season won’t begin for a few weeks but several members of the Kings are planning to gather Saturday to help a little boy whose smile and bravery can make them feel better no matter how they’ve played.

Charlie Pope is the 2-year-old son of Jennifer Pope, senior director of the Kings’ community affairs department and the charitable Kings Care Foundation. Charlie was diagnosed with hydrocephalus when he was 6 months old and has had four surgeries in his short life, three on his brain and another to correct damage done to his eye by fluid that built around the nerves. There’s no cure for hydrocephalus.

Led by Jennifer Pope’s efforts, the Kings are partnering to stage a walk to raise awareness and funds for the Hydrocephalus Assn., a nonprofit organization that provides support, education and advocacy for those who have hydrocephalus and for those who care for them.

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The event will take place in Redondo Beach in conjunction with a 5-kilometer race. Registration information is available on the Kings’ website and through the Hydrocephalus Assn.’s WALK website. Several players are scheduled to participate, including Dustin Brown, Jonathan Quick, Jarret Stoll, Alec Martinez, Robyn Regehr and Jake Muzzin.

“The players are like family to us,” said Pope, who is 6 1/2 months pregnant with her and husband Matt’s second child. “They’re fabulous people. Since the day he was diagnosed, I can’t tell you how supportive they’ve been.”

Luc Robitaille, the Kings’ president of business operations, is scheduled to attend. So is Daryl Evans, the team’s radio commentator.

Charlie has been doing well, Pope said, growing into a bubbly toddler who loves to eat from his dogs’ dishes and seems to always have a smile on his face. He hasn’t needed an operation since July 2013, but he’s likely to require surgical intervention in the future on the shunt that directs excess fluid from his brain to other parts of his body where it can be absorbed.

“We’ve had a good year,” she said. “That’s the thing with this condition: if you catch it early, there are things you can do. Charlie has, hopefully, a good chance at a normal life.

“The shunt [concept] hasn’t improved in 50 years. Shunts clog and break. He’s guaranteed to have numerous surgeries. It’s really not unheard of for people to have hundreds of surgeries.”

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Pope has become a tireless advocate for educating people about hydrocephalus and its effects, and for raising funds for research.

“I really think Charlie got this for a reason,” she said. “There’s an opportunity to make a difference and fix it. Just creating that awareness is important.”

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