In the beginning of April 2021, I was running and had a sharp pain in the right side of my head. I stopped and took a break. Over the next few weeks, I had a dull headache in the middle of my head and some blurry vision with pain behind my eyes. I started getting some intermittent sharp thunderclap headaches. I went to my doctor and she diagnosed me with a sinus infection and sent me home with some antibiotics.

The headaches still came and went until one day I was hit with one so severe I called my husband and told him I felt like I was dying and needed him to come home. He got home to find me in the corner of our bedroom on the floor. I remember him asking me questions when he was on the phone with the 911 operator like can you lift your left arm (I couldn’t), say I love you to him, which I answered yes in a mumble. She told him I was exhibiting stroke signs and needed to go to the hospital. I have no visual memory, but I do recall hearing the stretcher wheels and other noises as they wheeled me down the stairs into the ambulance. On the ride I threw up everywhere. When I got to the hospital and they did an MRI they saw I had a bulging aneurysm the size of a golf ball. They called the neurosurgeon in to perform a craniotomy and release the pressure of the aneurysm. I needed coils inserted where the bleeding was. At that time the hospital had a contract on-call vascular neurosurgeon since they lacked one and it was his first day there. What a blessing!

They put me in a medically induced coma and the doctor told my family may survive for 3 days and if I did, they would see what my deficiencies were going to be. I woke up on the second day talking. I was unable to feel my left arm and leg at first, but it came back. The next 3 weeks in the ICU were a blur and confused state for me. I then went to a month of inpatient rehabilitation. When I came home, I continued physical and occupational therapy sessions and completed hyperbaric oxygen treatments. My faith have gotten me through this. I always look ahead and am grateful for each day!

Connecting with the Niekro Foundation has truly benefitted me because they gave me the ability to relate with people in my situation.

My words of hope and advice to other survivors are don’t give up hope!  I also want people to know if you are not feeling well to push for an answer from your doctor, listen to your body!