Three weeks ago, Austyn Brown went to the doctor for an ear problem and was diagnosed with Chiari; a brain condition in which the brain extends down to the spinal cord and blocks CSF fluid around the spine. This Friday she will undergo brain surgery.

Austyn’s brain is sending her body incorrect signals, which causes her to have “grand mal seizures.” During these seizures, she stares at objects, can not hear, falls asleep with her eyes open, stops breathing, and temporarily has blurry or no vision.

Because there are no medications for the disease, the only option is a four hour-long surgery. Friday in Cleveland, Ohio at the same hospital where she was diagnosed, Austyn will have the surgical procedure, during which doctors will shrink the blockage, remove part of her skull, split two membranes, shave one bone, and remove two other bones.
Along with Chiari, Austyn has scoliosis and is one degree away from wearing a brace. She has also lost all hearing in her left ear, and a cyst is growing on the ventricles beneath her brain.

More people have this than they know,” said her mother, Renee Brown. Currently, only seven clinics in the U.S. accept Chiari Malformation as a medical problem. Ms. Brown also said they were “really lucky,” because even though Austyn has the disease badly, the symptoms can be even more severe; some who have it lose feeling in their limbs.
People who have Chiari may show no signs of symptoms until they are triggered by events such as a car accident or a growth spurt onset by adolescence.

Brown thinks Austyn had the disease long before she was diagnosed with it; because she was so young, Austyn could not accurately describe symptoms she was experiencing.

Austyn’s parents, Renee Brown and Chris Goodson, are holding two auctions to cover medical and travel expenses. The first auction is an art, antiques, and interior decorating auction that will be held on June 21 at Childers Auction Group in Talking Rock Georgia at the corner of Talking Rock Hwy and Hwy 136 at 12:00 noon preview will start at 10:00 am. A warehouse liquidation auction is on June 28 at 12 noon at the storage facility beside Annie’s Restaurant. Many items, including contractor and carpentry supplies, 4-wheelers, and furniture will be sold.

“She’s dealt with it,” Renee said of the drastic change the condition has brought to Austyn’s life. Her mother said she is a very generous child; sometimes she wears two pairs of clothing to school to give away to her friends who do not have money to purchase new clothes.