This year's Fund-a-Need is about helping patients and families through one of the toughest parts of their medical journey - the transition from pediatric to adult care.

For people living with pediatric conditions like Chiari, syringomyelia, hydrocephalus, EDS, dysautonomia, and others-- turning 18 doesn't mean the disease goes away. It often marks the start of new challenges - and finding adult doctors who truly understand these complex conditions isn't easy.

As medical science improves, more young patients are living longer, healthier lives - but our healthcare system hasn't caught up. Many adult providers simply aren't trained for these disorders, and patients are often forced to leave pediatric specialists who know them best. This often leaves these newly minted adults with no experts to turn to, causing a lot of anxiety.

That's where we come in.

Your support tonight will fund national work in collaboration with the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons Joint Section on Pediatric Neurosurgery. Together, we're identifying challenges, training adult providers, and building a standardized process so no patient gets lost in the transition to adult care.

Our goal tonight is to raise $5,000 to help close this critical gap - giving every patient the chance at a healthier, more hopeful future.

Thank you for standing with us and making a difference in so many lives.