We placed NYC Opera Starr Hallie Neill live in-studio with Chuck Scarborough on WNBC’s NY Nightly News.

Hallie  is a spokesperson for a new educational campaign called “Make Your Mark. ” The campaign was recently launched to celebrate the achievements and stories of people living with cervical dystonia which is a potentially disfiguring, debilitating and sometimes painful condition caused by abnormal muscle contractions.

Dystonias are neurological movement disorders in which sustained muscle contractions cause twisting and repetitive movements or abnormal postures. Specifically, cervical dystonia causes continuous contractions of the neck muscles which force the head to tilt left, right, forward or backward, and prevents the head from staying in a normal upright position.

Currently, it is estimated that at least 300,000 individuals in North America suffer from Dystonia. The condition may be inherited or caused by specific factors such as trauma, and certain medications. There is currently no cure.  Hallie’s story is featured in a new educational website called www.makeyourmarkcampaign.com