4 sisters fight brain disease

A Pennsylvania family has four daughters with the same brain disease. 

The Ramierez girls have Chiari Malformation, a serious neurological disorder where the bottom part of the brain descends out of the skull and crowds the spinal cord, putting pressure on both the brain and spine and causing many symptoms.

The family lives in Levittown.  The daughters are Gia, 4, Arianna, 6, and 10-year-old twins Shayna and Bryanna. They have had about 40 brain surgeries among them.  The scars on the back of their head are reminders of the surgeries.

Mother, Niki Ramierez says, "The skull is too small for the brain."

Some of the girls have to wear braces on their wrists, ankles and knees because their joints fail at times.

There currently is no cure for the disease and no genetic test to identify it. An estimated 300,000 people in the United States have the disease.

Walks are held around the country annually to raise money and awareness.  This year's walks are scheduled for September 17.

In New Jersey they will be at at 9 a.m. in two locations:

Woodrow Wilson Memorial Park
1100 Summit Terrace
Linden, NJ 07036

Ship Bottom Boat Ramp
West 10th St. & Shore Ave.
Ship Bottom, NJ 08008

One is scheduled for Long Island at 12 p.m.:
Heritage Park
Mount Sinai, NY 11766

Another will be in New York City at 10:30 a.m.:
Clove Lakes Park
Trails Clove Lakes
Staten Island, NY 10310

For more information go to:  conquerchiari.org.