They're just kind of helping out of the kindness of their hearts, to contribute to knowledge.

We are really trying to discover the genetic and environmental factors that contribute to Chiari. We do think Chiari is congenital, so it's something people are born with, but may not show symptoms until later.

With all research studies, the goal is to create better medical care in the long run. We definitely hope once we discover the cause of the Chiari and give medical professionals more information, hopefully they can more accurately diagnose the condition and diagnose it sooner so patients don't have to wait to begin treatment or experience severe symptoms.