Canadian Chiari Association

May these words offer you some encouragement this week. "Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can."... -Arthur Ashe See more

CCA is excited to officially welcome Kirsi Sykes to the board as our new Vice President! Her many years of experience as a business strategist and transformational change management will be of great asset to us and the Chiari community as a whole. Kirsi is a fellow Chiari patient who continues to struggle with many of the challenges we all face on a daily basis. She is a passionate advocate for others, patient care and research. You can read more about Kirsi and her journey b...y visiting the Directors section of our website. http://www.chiari.ca/about-us/our-directors/ We look forward to working with her as we strive to achieve many great things. We thank her for her dedication and commitment to our Chiari community! If you are interested in becoming a Director and helping us shape the future for others, please contact us at [email protected] There is much work to do however it takes many of us to create change! The greater number we are working on things, the faster we can make it happen. Let's change the Chiari world together! :)

Living with chiari is challenging to say the least, but holidays can put an extra layer of pressure on us. As Thanksgiving is approaching, conserving our energy is so important. Planning our days and letting our loved ones know what we need can really help. We at CCA are constantly working on tools and support materials that can help us lead better lives despite our symptoms. Block planning is a good tool: plan your day in " blocks" according to what you need and can do. Fo...r example: BLOCK 1: 7 - 9 Morning Routine BLOCK 2: 9 - 11 Focussed work ( rehab, work, play with children) BLOCK 3: 11 - 1 PM Lunch and Rest BLOCK 4: 1 PM - 4 PM Appointments and self care BLOCK 5: 4 -7 PM Family time BLOCK 6: 7 - 9 PM Evening routine BLOCK 7: 9 PM Bed time This is an example only, but idea is to organize "blocks of time" stay focussed, and time yourself to stay on track. Stay tuned for more resources on www.chiari.ca Wishing you a wonderful long-weekend and hopefully some well deserved rest as well! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

While it can be hard to be thankful while dealing with illness, gratitude can transform our lives. We are grateful you are here !While it can be hard to be thankful while dealing with illness, gratitude can transform our lives. We are grateful you are here !

The ILC has launched a very important survey and has invited Chiari and Syringomyelia patients to participate through the CCA. Their remarks and survey can be found on our website www.chiari.ca We strongly encourage everyone to complete it! We thank the ILC for this opportunity to share such an important survey and aide in gathering important information for better healthcare!