Survivor Stories

I was approaching the end of my first year working as a Nurse Practitioner when I suddenly became the patient instead of the prescriber.

I am a wife, mother of three, and a second grade teacher. By sharing my story, I hope that someone might find comfort in knowing they are not alone and that recovery from brain injury happens at its own pace.

I had a SAH in January, 2019. I was 29 years old at the time: fit, a keen sports person, and it came out of the blue.

The doctors in Asheville were straight forward with my mom, telling her there was a 90% chance I wouldn’t make it out of the coma.

My name is Matthew and in February 2021 whilst out running I suffered a Subarachnoid Haemorrhage.

This story is about my mum, Mimi, who sadly passed away in August last year following a long battle with a brain injury.

I had a brain stem bleed in July 2017 at the age of 36, and a TIA 12 months later.  Being young, fit and healthy they were both totally unexpected.

Veronique's brain injury was acquired following a brain infection called viral meningo-encephalitis.

A few years ago, my identical twin brother, Luke, suffered a traumatic brain injury. The event would change his life completely but also inspire the work we now dedicate ourselves to. It is a deeply personal story and is central to the company, our ethos and vision.

When I had two strokes while working in a high-powered job, it stunned everyone who knew me. It was unexpected. I was very fit; swimming outdoors all year, cycling more than 10 hours a week, and a regular gym-goer. I was a scuba diving instructor in my spare time and didn’t imagine that I would be hit by strokes.

The last year few years have been challenging for Eva and her husband Antonio. Two years ago, Eva had a Subarachnoid Haemorrhage due to a brain aneurysm.

At 29, Chris was a fit and healthy young man, he had a physical job as a carpenter, played football 3 times a week, and could run a half marathon with no training in less than 2 hours. April 21^st 2017; Chris got up and out of bed at 6:30am, and I remember these next moments of our lives like they were 2 minutes ago.

Brooke was hit by a speeding car in 2007. After 14 years of rehab, he is using his voice and story to increase awareness and understanding of Traumatic Brain Injury.

Many clinicians told Matt that most of the recovery from a TBI occurs within the first one year, and after that point his recovery would plateau such that his faculties would no longer improve. However, Matt has continued to see positive changes well beyond the first two years of recovery and today, over ten years on, still strives for continued improvements.

I had been experiencing what I would say was a very mild, dull headache for a few days. A bit like a hangover and I couldn’t shift it. I later found out I had suffered a severe ruptured aneurysm.

I read Emilia’s story when she first published it and was touched by how strong she was after going through something so traumatic, but I never thought it would happen to me, until it did.  Here’s Julie’s story... 

Mel is a paramedic and had just returned home from a sporting event and holiday in Europe when she started to feel unwell. She knew she was having a brain bleed, but nobody took her seriously.  Here’s Mel’s story... 

When Richard McLean had a stroke, one of the things he found helpful was hearing how other people have responded to having a stroke, to hear their experience. "It’s somehow nice to know that what I’m experiencing, how I’m feeling, others have experienced and felt too" 'Oh yes, that’s quite normal' are some seriously reassuring words right now. Here's Richard's story.....