WHEREAS, Chiari Malformation is a serious neurological disorder affecting more than 300,000 people in the United States; and

WHEREAS, Chiari Malformation was first identified by Austrian pathologist Professor Hans Chiari in the 1890s and categorized into four types in order of severity; and

WHEREAS, Chiari Malformation is a congenital malformation in which the bottom of the brain, known as the cerebellum, is crowded in the skull cavity and forces the lower tips of the cerebellar hemispheres, or tonsils, into the hole in the bottom of the skull, or foramen magnum; and

WHEREAS, Chiari Malformations are defects in the cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls balance, and this creates pressure on the cerebellum and brain stem and may block the normal flow of cerebral spinal fluid to and from the brain; and

WHEREAS, Symptoms usually appear during adolescence or early adulthood and can include severe head and neck pain, vertigo, muscle weakness, balance problems, blurred or double vision, difficulty swallowing, and sleep apnea; and

WHEREAS, Individuals who have Chiari Malformation may often have related conditions, such as hydrocephalus, spina bifida, syringomyelia, tethered spinal cord syndrome, and spinal curvature; and

WHEREAS, The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health is conducting research to find alternative surgical options and to identify the cause of Chiari Malformations to create improved treatment and prevention plans; now, therefore, be it