Seventeen-year-old Chalce-donae Carter (nicknamed Louie) of Billings, MT, and her mother, Julie, thanked Thomas Milhorat, MD, director of the Harvey Cushing Institutes of Neuroscience and the Harvey Cushing Chiari Institute, left, and Paolo Bolognese, MD, associate director of the Chiari Institute, who performed surgery to correct Chalce-donae’s tethered cord syndrome of the spinal column. Chalce-donae, a high school senior, had debilitating symptoms from the condition - headaches, nausea, black-outs and difficulty walking. “Louie was miserable; we were hoping to hold off to the end of the school year, but it wasn’t possible,” said Ms. Carter, who had surgery at North Shore University Hospital (NSUH) last December by the same surgeons to treat her tethored cord syndrome. The Carter family gained national notoriety for Chiari disorders after their home, a former chicken coop, was transformed into a modern 3,400 square-foot ranch-style house on ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Ms. Carter is an advocate for people with Chiari disorders and the new house includes a state-of-the-art home office where the Carters can run their non-profit support/education group, ChiariPeople. Julie Carter has traveled to NSUH 11 times to visit Chiari surgery patients so “they don’t have to do it alone.” Dr. Bolognese said Chalce’s prognosis is “good” and predicted that her symptoms would be minimal in six months. Ms. Carter said her daughter’s headaches were gone immediately after surgery.
Media Contact: Public Relations 516-465-2600 |
