Hi! My name's Danielle. I'm 20 years old and was diagnosed with Chiari Malformation in June of 2011. Initially I'd been experiencing such symptoms as double vision and headaches (those in particular would worsen from simple things like laughing or sneezing). Because of my double vision, my first course of action was to make an eye doctor appointment. Initially thought to have possibly been a weak eye muscle, my eye doctor ordered an MRI and was surprised to see it was chiari. After that, I saw a neurosurgeon who confirmed the diagnosis. He explained the situation and the possible treatments, and we agreed that although it was not considered a cure, surgery would be my best option and give me the best chance of getting better. Three months later, in September, I had brain surgery, called decompression of the posterior fossa. Basically they removed a small portion of the skull in order to relieve the pressure my brain was putting on my spine. Now, it's been three months since my surgery. My symptoms are still the same, but sometimes it takes awhile to get better, especially for older patients (as in, not little kids who bounce back faster!). I'm glad to have that experience in the past, and look forward to the day my symptoms disappear.

The American Syringomyelia & Chiari Alliance Project deserves your donation because it is one of the only charities trying to help these disorders!

Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too, every little bit counts!