Our mission at the Spinal CSF Leak Foundation is to reduce the suffering of persons affected by intracranial hypotension or spinal cerebrospinal fluid leak. As a foundation, we honor such values as integrity and compassion, inclusivity that celebrates and respects our diverse community, and hope for a better future despite the significant challenges we face.
We fiercely support the work of #BlackLivesMatter and everyone working to address racism, discrimination, police brutality, and inequality.
Black persons have suffered disproportionately from a medical system inclined to discriminate on the basis of race. This has happened not only historically—see for example the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, the story of Henrietta Lacks, the surgeon who experimented on enslaved women, and the long legacy of disbelieving black people’s pain, to name a few—but continues today: from Beyoncé and Serena Williams speaking to many black mothers’ experiences with doctors ignoring dangerous complications during childbirth, to the continued prevalence of racial bias in pain management, to what we’re learning now about how COVID disproportionately affects communities of color.
We recognize that this needs to change. We will continue to work to be worthy of the values we espouse as we advocate, educate, and support research, ensuring diverse and inclusive representation of black voices that need to be heard.