I have two birthdays: The day I was born and the day I was given a second chance at life. I call this my “bonus life.”

My journey started in May of 2018. I had been suffering from headaches and blurry vision but figured my symptoms were just due to the stress of being a new mom while juggling a full-time job as a school psychologist. One day, I arrived home from work feeling unusually exhausted after suffering from headaches the entire day. My husband took me to an urgent care clinic and I was admitted to the hospital with suspected meningitis. A CT scan of my brain revealed a large arteriovenous malformation (AVM). I was referred to UT Southwestern Dallas and an angiogram revealed I also had two life threatening aneurysms. Before I had time to fully process the gravity of my situation, a craniotomy was done to clip one of the aneurysms. Several days into recuperating at home, I suddenly loss sensation on the right side of my body and couldn’t speak. I was rushed back to the hospital and diagnosed with an intracranial hemorrhage. Thankfully, I recovered well enough to have the second aneurysm coiled two months later.

Now it was time to tackle the AVM. A functional MRI revealed that removing it was not possible; however, if left untreated, a rupture would be fatal. I underwent gamma knife radiation in December of 2019. I was told it would take 3 to 4 years before the radiation would achieve its maximum effect. During the waiting period, the COVID-19 pandemic stopped the world.

Fast forward to November 2022 and the heartbeat of a new life inside of me stopped my world. In June of 2023, my second child was born with no complications. The next step of my journey is another MRI to check on the final results of the gamma knife and determine if another surgery is needed. I am ready to continue fighting for my bonus life, which is a gift that I never take for granted.

The Niekro Foundation has benefitted me by serving as a valuable source of information and connecting me with other survivors.

My words of advice for others who are newly diagnosed with either a brain aneurysm, an AVM, or both is to create a support network and accept help from others. You are not alone in your journey.