Survivor Stories

Before I suffered a ruptured aneurysm and subsequent brain surgery at 36, I had felt young, strong, beautiful and independent. I had felt invincible. The brain injury left me devastated – both physically and emotionally.

On September 13th 2011, I defied the odds after my bike crash put me in a 13-day coma leaving me struggling with severe amnesia, vestibular system damage, and diffuse axonal contusions.

I was on a city bike in uptown Minneapolis, on my way home, when without warning I suffered from a subarachnoid ruptured brain aneurysm, a brain hemorrhage and stroke.

I am a secondary school teacher and on the 24th October, 2019, I was about to get up and get ready for work when I sneezed. Although I did not know it yet, a Blister-type aneurysm had ruptured in my brain and I was experiencing a Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

At the age of 29 I survived a head-on collision. My brain moved around so much that the mid-line shifted entirely. 

I remember nothing of this...I was found sick over the toilet saying I had a excruciating headache and I thought I had a brain hemorrhage.

I thought I was doing everything correctly – working out, maintaining a slim, trim body, yoga, etc. but aged 44, I had 2 Trans Ischaemic Attacks (‘TIAs’) and a more severe stroke.

After my third visit to the hospital in three days, I was home and suddenly everything changed. So off to the hospital for a 4th time. 

On December 4th of 2014, I was biking to work when I was hit by an SUV. I suffered a traumatic brain injury that permanently changed my life.

How it all started...Tik Tik Tik Tik Tik. "Guys, you hear that?" I asked.  

I was visiting a location in March 2021 on a weekend in NY state when I stopped at my very best friend from middle schools' apartment on my way home from work to meet her first son and have dinner. After a couple of hours, I started to experience the worst headache of my life. I was getting sweaty, and my vision was blurring.

On December 3, 2008, I had a catastrophic massive stroke. It was a consequence of the dissection of the carotid artery. It took me a decade to communicate again.

Two years ago, I was hit by a motorcycle when crossing the street in New York City. I sustained a brain bleed, concussion, and whiplash.

My name is Ronah Ankunda, aged 26 years and I come from Uganda. On June 1st, 2022 around 1:00am a sudden agonizing headache woke me up.

On 10th June 2020, I woke up in hospital following a surgery to remove a grade 1, non-cancerous brain tumour

This is a heart-wrenching story about Ashish Gupta, a normal 29 year old enthusiastic youth, living in Ranchi, a place in Jharkhand state of India. He did not know what he would go through in the near future and nobody had expected it.

My name is Len. I have survived two major brain injuries that required surgery.  Add to this several concussions.  I will focus on the two injuries. 

As a 6 years old, I was hit by a car while crossing the road. This forever changed my life. 34 years on, I am an English teacher, Arabic Interpreter & Translator and writer.

Many years of keen cycling concluded with a serious accident and Traumatic Brain Injury, August 2018. Unprepared, I went from enjoying a responsible job, to months in hospital and years of recovery.