LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION memorializing Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to
proclaim September 2015, as Chiari Malformation Awareness Month in the
State of New York

WHEREAS, The State of New York takes great pride in participating in
months of awareness of important health issues; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, it is the sense of this Legislative Body to memori-
alize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim September 2015, as Chiari
Malformation Awareness Month in the State of New York; and
WHEREAS, In September of 2015, the annual Conquer Chiari Walk/Run
Across America will be held in Buffalo, New York; and
WHEREAS, Chiari Malformation is a condition where part of the brain,
the cerebellar tonsils, descends out of the skull and crowds the spinal
cord; and
WHEREAS, First identified by Hans Chiari in the 1890s, the cause is
unknown and is believed to be primarily a congenital condition; and
WHEREAS, Chiari Malformation leads to a secondary condition, Syringo-
myelia, in some people; it is a neurological condition where a fluid
filled cyst, or syrinx, forms in the spinal cord; and
WHEREAS, The syrinx expands the spinal cord, sometimes to more than
twice its normal diameter, and stretches the nerve tissue paper thin;
and
WHEREAS, Chiari Malformation is the leading cause of Syringomyelia, so
some people must deal with two diseases; and
WHEREAS, Chiari Malformation symptoms include but are not limited to:
severe headaches brought on by coughing and straining; trouble swallow-
ing and sometimes speaking; loss of fine motor control; and balance
problems; and
WHEREAS, Syringomyelia symptoms include but are not limited to:
extreme pain in neck and shoulders, loss of bladder and bowel control,
numbness in hands and feet, unable to feel hot and cold, and weakness,
stiffness and pain in arms and legs; and
WHEREAS, Chiari Malformation and Syringomyelia affect more than
300,000 people in the United States; and
WHEREAS, These devastating diseases are diagnosed by using a combina-
tion of MRI, neurological exam, physician's judgment, and other tests;
patients often go five or more years before being properly diagnosed;
and
WHEREAS, A study of over 300 Chiari Malformation and Syringomyelia
patients found approximately 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; and
WHEREAS, Research has shown that surgery can improve symptoms with
approximately an 80% success rate; Chiari Malformation can place a
tremendous physical, mental, emotional, and economic strain on patients
and their families; and
WHEREAS, Chiari Malformation Awareness Month provides an opportunity
to focus on this significant and complex disease, to provide information
on and raise public awareness of the cause, effects and treatments, and
to underscore important education and research efforts surrounding
Chiari Malformation; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim September 2015, as
Chiari Malformation Awareness Month in the State of New York; and be it
further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of New
York.