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This Saturday, Sept. 23, the track at Rockbridge County High School will be the location of the first-ever Conquer Chiari Walk in the Rockbridge area.
The Conquer Chiari Walk Across America is an annual fundraising and awareness event comprised of a series of local walks held on the third and fourth Saturday in September. In 2022 the event was held both live and virtually involving thousands of participants and raised more than $300,000 for research and other patient centered programs. To date, these walks have funded over $4.7 million in Chiari research.
Chiari Malformation is a serious neurological disorder in which 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. It can strike children and adults and cause crippling headaches, neck pain, balance problems, trouble breathing, numbness and weakness in the limbs, and a host of other problems, sometimes death. There has been very little research on Chiari and fundamental questions regarding its underlying cause, diagnosis and treatment remain unanswered. It is estimated that Chiari affects over 300,000 people in the United States.
Laurie Moore of Lexington who is organizing the local walk took a personal interest in this event because at age 52 she learned that the excruciating headaches she thought were migraines all of her life, were actually not.
“My brain was actually herniated out of my skull,” she said “It nearly killed me as I fought to get disability and brain surgery for six years. I finally had decompression surgery in 2018.There is no cure, but I have some improvements.”
The walk begins at 10 a.m. with registration starting at 9. Sponsorships, donations and walkers are still needed. Those interesting in helping out may contact Moore at (540) 461-8942 or send email to ccwaalexingtonva. [email protected].
Conquer Chiari, known formally as the C&S Patient Education Foundation, is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to improving the experiences and outcomes of Chiari patients through education, awareness, and research. The Conquer Chiari website www.conquerchiari.org is the single most comprehensive source of information available on Chiari and related topics.
“I have become close with many other Chiarians since I was diagnosed,” said Moore. “I have watched many suffer from this brutal disorder. I have lost some dear friends to it as well. I continue my battle daily as do so many others, all ages, even babies. I’ll do whatever it takes to find a cure and conquer Chiari once and for all!”
