Gala 2013 Review, Barbara Woodworth

October 26, 2013 marked the culmination of another successful “Working Toward a Day Without Pain” Gala – the 11th in fact – and we find ourselves looking forward to GALA Number 12, scheduled for Oct 25, 2014.

Involved with COH for the past three years – ever since our granddaughter Jessica was diagnosed with syringomyelia - my husband and I have acquired a tremendous amount of knowledge about this condition. For this we thank the Kane family and their efforts to spread the word about Chairi Malformation and syringomyelia. The Kane’s unfailing dedication and commitment to promoting Column of Hope (COH) is both inspiring and immensely helpful for those new to these conditions.

COH’s GALA this year was no exception when it came to spreading the word. The occasion was lavish, meaningful and worthy of raising a substantial amount of donations in terms of items and funds -with 100 percent of the monies used to support research in the hopes of achieving a Day Without Pain. The GALA’s keynote speaker, Dr. Harold Rekate of the Chiari Institute, presented an informative and well-delivered speech, one that was easily understood by a lay audience.

The GALA, too, serves another purpose. In addition to raising money for research, it brings Chairi Malformation and syringomyelia families together to share experiences, pose questions and compare symptoms, surgeries and medical recommendations. This is tremendously helpful. In our case it was Mark Kane, to whom we owe a debt of gratitude, who put our granddaughter in touch with Doctor Lee Guterman, neurosurgeon and COH scientific advisor. Jessie now makes yearly trips from Ottawa, where she is an engineering physics major at Carlton University, to see Dr. Guterman.

In short, our praise for COH cannot be overstated and we, as well as other COH families, remain appreciative to Column of Hope and the entire Kane family.