Merle is lively, courageous, and louder than others—and she lives with hydrocephalus. For a long time, she was able to hide her diagnosis well, but after an operation to insert a hydrocephalus shunt, her friends, teachers, and classmates found out about it. Merle would have preferred to keep it to herself, because she wants one thing above all else: to be like everyone else. But that's not always easy.

This lovingly designed children's book sensitively tells the story of how Merle deals with her hydrocephalus diagnosis, the challenges she overcomes, and how important friendship and support are. Her best friend Anton stands by her side – and suddenly help comes from a completely unexpected source...

Merle's Guard is part of a series of diverse children's books that encourage children with special medical needs and support their families.

The digital book is available for free download in English, German and Spanish.