The International Chiari Association (ICA) is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization that helps people seven days a week.

"At the ICA, we put people first," said ICA Founder/President Pete Dal Bello, who has Chiari. "I look forward to each day because it is another day for the ICA to help those with Chiari and the people that care about them. To spread Chiari Awareness with our purple ribbon and news you can use. We also raise money for Chiari Research and are building a Chiarians' Assistance Fund to help people with Chiari. The ICA provides a positive, friendly and helpful environment. We're concerned about both the present and the future." 

The ICA is always setting new goals to reach out to patients, their families, the medical community and the general population.

"I know what a lonely, frustrating, painful and frightening road fighting Chiari can be," said Dal Bello. "I was born with Chiari and it took 36 years before I was finally diagnosed. In 2000, my health forced me to resign from my job as a magazine editor and then I went from doctor to doctor for eight years before an MRI revealed the malformation. I underwent decompression surgery on May 11, 2009. While Chiari is still a daily struggle, the operation saved me from needing a wheelchair.

"It was toward the end of my hospital stay that I decided that I wanted to help others with Chiari. With the assistance of long-time friends Robert Mislang and Jason Floyd, I founded the ICA almost two years later. I often tell people that we can't change the past, but we can make things better for the future. Every day, I think about those with Chiari - especially the young children, many of whom have had more surgeries than years of life. I want their future to be better than my own."

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the ICA today by clicking on the following link: http://www.chiariassociation.org/donate

We thank you for your support.