04/05/2026
The Chiari Pillow™ Story
My brother, Chip Vierow, born with a Chiari Malformation, had decompression surgery for a 22mm herniation. Chip then became the leader of the World Arnold Chiari Malformation Association (WACMA) group. At the time it was one of only two groups to provide information about Chiari. Chip had the idea that he could help people with Chiari also, by developing a pillow for people with Chiari. He enlisted Dr. Bolognese, a Chiari expert neurosurgeon, as well as Mike Lindell of MyPillow.
The WACMA group was given 50 test pillows and was asked to give their feedback. Many in the group liked them and some of the others wanted to trade for a different level of fill. This was an issue with having to return the pillow to get it adjusted correctly as it was with all of Mike Lindell’s MyPillows.
Then came Christmas 2007 and NONE of the Chiari Pillow™ orders had been delivered! Mike Lindell provided receipts from the post office for evidence of delivery, however, NONE of the receipt numbers appeared in the post office database. We assume that Mike, based on his book, had bought co***ne with the payment for all the Christmas pillows and we know that he provided fake delivery slips (a felony).
We searched for a new vendor and found a great one in Specialty Mattress. They replaced all the Christmas pillows for our customers, and they continue to make them currently. We decided on the medical grade open cell foam, and I added the zipper feature as a design change, and the Zipperhead Chiari Pillow™ was born. Named of course, for the zipper-looking scar after decompression surgery. I also trademarked the name Chiari Pillow™.
Now the pillow was sent out with extra fill, and you could adjust it yourself to your perfect level of comfort without having to send the pillow back to us to adjust. This was a great benefit to us and to our customers who didn’t have to be without their pillows to get adjusted.
The next design change was from a customer who modified the Chiari Pillow™ for surgery. There was a sewn down part on a travel style pillow, so the pressure was on the side by your ears and not on the fresh incision from surgery. Another zipper was added to accommodate the sewn down part so you could adjust each side independently. The Pain in the Neck Chiari Pillow™ for surgery was born.
Sadly, Chip passed away in 2008 from NASH, a liver condition. I continued Chip’s legacy and took over the business as MedPillow.com and have since helped thousands of people with Chiari and many others without Chiari who simply love the Chiari Pillow™. They are great for people who have CPAP or BiPap machines. I am so thankful to Chip for his vision and his desire to help more people with Chiari. The Chiari Pillow™ continues to be one that people “love, love, love” and say that “I take it wherever I go.”
We work with ChiariFund.org, Joey Rowe, who uses some of the funds to provide donated pillows to those who can’t afford them and may not have insurance to cover the cost. Thank you to Joey for his many years of support. Thank you also to all the customers and for telling other Chiarians about the Chiari Pillow™. I appreciate you all. God Bless.
Ann Hood
www.MedPillow.comAnn Hood
Thank you for visiting Chiari Fund! We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency dedicated to helping those who suffer from Chiari and Related Disorders. All of our proceeds go towards providing those who are less fortunate with a path to get the care they need and deserve.
