Chiari Malformation is a serious neurological disorder where 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. To date 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 US.

I created the annual Chiari Golf Tournament in honor of my son, Carter. He is 13 years old and had problems from the start. Every symptom pointed to Chiari but since there is not much known about his disorder it took almost a year to finally get the correct diagnosis. This was after multiple surgeries and tests. Carter underwent brain surgery to try and alleviate some of his symptoms just a few short days after his 1^st birthday and nearly didn’t make it out of surgery. He was resuscitated and is doing much better now but still lives with frequent headaches and other neurological symptoms. We hope that with our fundraisers we will be able to help with research as well as get more awareness out there. 

Our 12^th annual event will take place on June 29th, 2024 in Cannon Falls at Gopher Hill Golf Club. We are proud to say, to date, we have raised more than $50,000 for Conquer Chiari. We are requesting donations for our silent auction and raffle. 100% of the profits raised at this event will be donated to the Minnesota Conquer Chiari Walk Across America to allow more research to be done on Chiari Malformation.