Walking for CSF

When I was in High School I met another school mate named Rachel. We immediately became friends and she ended up being a HUGE supporter of the girls basketball team. She often rode the team bus with us and went to all of our games. One of my favorite things she would do is write letters to us before games (and even when I was at college) about how much she believes in us. I must say that Rachel is a fantastic writer and I wish I had half her talent. In fact she majored in English in college and has written a book (I can not wait to read it!!). She is also the one who taught me the term differently-abled.

 The reason I am writing about my friend Rachel is because tomorrow she is going to be walking her first mile. This is something she has been working diligently on for a long time. I have always challenged her to take more and more steps and she has always rose to that challenge. Her strength and perseverance is amazing and inspirational. However, Rachel is not walking her first mile for her, she is walking it for her best friend Melissa was diagnosed with Chiari. Chiari Malformation is a congenital malformation in which the bottom of the brain is crowded in the skull cavity, and forces the lower tips of the cerebellar hemispheres (t into the hole in the bottom of the skull . This causes blockage of cerebrospinal fluid flow from the cranial cavity into the spinal canal. You can find more information by checking out the CSF website. Rachel has raised over $1,000 to help support the Chiari & Syringomyelia Foundation, Inc. You can check out her personal page here. You can read more about Rachel's story in the graphic below.

Photo from the CSF Facebook page.  Check it out!!