All Survivor Stories

Amy tells us of how a brain tumour completely changed her life and of how having a tight support system during recovery is essential to learn to move forward.

On December 7, 2004, I was 34 years young, strong and very healthy. While I was riding my horse, I suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH).

In June 2022, my dad Malcolm had a cardiac arrest and my mum did CPR for 18 minutes while she waited for the ambulance to arrive.

While fighting leukemia, Madeleena had a stroke which changed the course of her young adult life.

On January 13th, 2022, after a week of extreme headaches, I had a seizure and stroke in the car as my mother drove me to the ER. A neurosurgeon quickly identified an AVM hemorrhage and began to operate. A third of my skull was removed so the AVM could be removed, and I sat in a coma (possibly sedated) for a month with a tracheotomy.

Trying to understand what was going on, I went to an otorhinolaryngologist and a neurologist, but they said everything was fine. The conclusion was that most likely this was the effect of anesthesia after an operation. An MRI was ordered, but unfortunately, the results showed that I had suffered a micro stroke.

After waking up in the morning, Kevin felt a pain like he had never felt. It subsided for a short time, then bang! It was back again. A brain hemorrhage had occurred.

Mary experienced a traumatic brain injury aged 2 years old. She tells us about the lifelong impact of a fall as a toddler.

On New Year’s Eve, 2001, I was about to get high on the purest drugs. Sadly, it was in the neurosurgery prep room.