Dear Physician

Like many people, we had never heard of Chiari malformation – until its complications claimed the life of our daughter, Shannon, in the summer of 2011..

What You Should Know

Though not everyone experiences the same severity of symptoms, living with Chiari malformation is a life-long struggle that can place a tremendous..

How To Help

The first step in making a difference is becoming knowledgeable about Chiari Malformation.

The second step is taking action..

Mission Statement

Shannon’s Hope Foundation is dedicated to improving awareness of Chiari malformation to better facilitate early diagnosis of this condition. Understanding the complexity of the disease is extremely critical to diagnosis and treatment. To that end, our objective is to provide the medical community with ongoing informational documentation about Chiari malformation. Shannon’s diagnosis took five years before her decompression surgery; unfortunately, it was not successful. What might have been with an early diagnosis?

Shannon’s Hope Foundation was created to help others avoid the debilitating and excruciating pain that can result from undiagnosed Chiari malformation. Awareness is the key to early diagnosis and treatment. Shannon’s goal was lifestyle improvement for patients; achieving that goal depends largely upon the physician’s willingness to recognize and treat this disease. Our long-term objective in this cause is to provide or assist with low-cost MRIs, so vital to accurate diagnosis.

Chiari malformation is not a rare disease, just rarely diagnosed on a timely basis. Please help us in fulfilling our mission to provide the information and understanding that are essential in the quest to conquer Chiari.

Shannon’s Hope Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization.