Hi, my name is Derek Crosby, and I'm one of the founders of The Chiari Voices Foundation.

Mission: To ensure every person affected by Chiari Malformation is heard, believed, and supported through a community dedicated to validation, education, and advocacy.

Vision: A world where every Chiari patient receives a timely diagnosis and compassionate care without having to fight to be believed.

Core Strategy: To fill the "validation gap". While other groups fund research, your unique value is focusing on the emotional and psychological journey of the patient: "We hear you, we believe you".

For years, I lived in a world of unexplained pain, debilitating symptoms, and medical confusion.

But the physical pain was often second to the emotional toll: being told my symptoms were "all in my head," being dismissed by doctors, and feeling like I had to fight just to be believed.

My story, unfortunately, is the story of countless thousands in the Chiari Malformation community. We are navigating a complex neurological condition while also fighting a daily battle for validation.

This is why I am creating The Chiari Voices Foundation.

Our mission is simple: To ensure every person affected by Chiari Malformation is heard, believed, and supported.

We won't just be another non-profit. We will be a community built on lived experiences.

We will fill the "validation gap" by providing three core, free programs:

1. A Private Peer Support Network: A moderated, safe space for patients and caregivers to connect.

2. The "Validated Voices" Project: A blog and social media series dedicated to sharing our stories, unfiltered.

3. A Curated Specialist Directory: A community-built list of compassionate doctors, therapists, and specialists who listen and believe.

Here's where I need your help today.

To legally exist as a non-profit and accept tax-deductible donations to fund these programs, I need to file for 501(c)(3) status. This is a one-time legal cost.

Your donation today will not go to overhead or salaries. It will go directly to paying these essential, one-time startup fees.

Our First Goal: The "Launch Kit" ($600)

This is the bare-bones minimum we need to open our doors.

TOTAL INITIAL ESTIMATED COSTS = $600+

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The Stretch Goal: Our "First Year" ($750)

If we hit our first goal, any additional funds will go directly to our first year of essential operating costs:

Why This Matters

Every dollar you give today is a seed. It's the legal key that unlocks our ability to build this community, apply for grants, and start the vital work of validating thousands of patients who feel invisible.

This mission is born from personal experience, but I cannot do it alone. Help us achieve our mission with a gift today.

For additional information regarding our cause, you can visit our site here at Chiari Voices, however, you cannot donate via the actual website currently as we are not a legal entity (yet!).

But you can donate here on our seed GoFundMe and help us start off on the right foot.

Please be one of our "Founding Donors" and help bring The Chiari Voices Foundation to life. The silenced voices will thank you.

Thank you for hearing me, for believing in this, and for your support.

With humble gratitude on behalf of all those affected by Chiari Malformations (both patients and caregivers),

Derek & Eric Crosby

Chiari Warriors