In August, Don and I found out that one of our students (he coached her, I had her in English class) was going to have to have brain surgery for a syndrome we had never heard of: Chiari Syndrome. Saturday morning, we participated in a charity walk to help raise money for research for this syndrome.
Here is some information from the conquerchiari.org website: "Chiari Malformation (Arnold-Chiari) is a serious neurological disorder where the bottom part of the brain, the cerebellum, descends out of the skull and crowds the spinal cord, putting pressure on both the brain and spine and causing many symptoms."
Quick Facts About Chiari Malformation:
Affects more than 300,000 people in the US; 30% of children born with spina bifida are also born with a Chiari Malformation.
Causes a wide ranging, diverse set of symptoms. Research has shown that 95% of patients experience at least 5 symptoms.
Diagnosed using combination of MRI, neurological exam, physician’s judgment, and other tests; patients often
go 5 or more years before being properly diagnosed.
A study of over 300 Chiari Malformation patients found
that 57% had at one time been told by a doctor they were suffering from a mental or emotional problem.
Many patients undergo serious brain surgery in an attempt to stop symptoms from progressing.
Research has shown that surgery can improve symptoms for about 80% of patients, but fails about 20% of the time.
Chiari can place a tremendous physical, mental, emotional, and economic strain on patients and their families."
We were honored and inspired by the stories we heard on Saturday during the 5k walk/run. I am again reminded of how I should be grateful for my health and family.
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