Survivor Stories

I had just retired at the age of 58. I was looking forward to restoring our quirky Georgian house, with plans for a B&B. I had dreamt of this as our retirement project. Then “bang” the explosion.

Ryley had a stroke in January 2021, aged 9 years old, causing right sided weakness and speech difficulties.

I was 19 when I was t-boned in a little 1997 Mazda Miata by a full-size truck. At the hospital, I didn't understand what was going on.

In June 2019 I had a subarachnoid haemorrhage, due to a burst brain aneurysm. Optimism and determination were essential to my recovery.

In January 2019 I had a frontal craniotomy to remove a cyst which may have been causing several grand mal seizures. Little did I know this would present a whole new set of challenges.

At the age of 11, Axel survived my subarachnoid hemorrhage. Life hasn’t been too bad. I’m grateful for what I’ve been able to do, despite my limits.

At the age of 42, I had a brain haemorrhage and aphasia, which is a communication disorder. After the operation I couldn’t speak for two years. My social network fell apart.

8th June 2020, I woke up and something didn't feel right. I couldn't seem to get comfortable on my right side. In fact, that whole side felt weird.

In October 2021, I was on the way back from a university rugby match when the vehicle I was travelling in was in a car accident. Everyone was unharmed but shortly after I had a massive headache. The next morning, I went to A&E with slurred speech, head pain and (unbeknownst at the time) a TIA.

I am a survivor of an inoperable benign brain tumor. They gave me two weeks to live but I was blessed with a wonderful doctor who was able to get the brain tumor completely removed from my head.

I was 33 years old when I had a Non-Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage. I remember the exact moment it happened; my mouth lost all its saliva, and I became dizzy. I went and sat down and immediately felt a sudden rush from my spine to the top of my head.

I was 33 years old when I had my stroke. When I got to the hospital the doctor who greeted me at the door was one of my clients who is stroke specialist, so I knew they suspected that this might be the issue.

I am a young stroke survivor from Brazil. As an architect and also a Makeup Artist, I have always loved anything that would allow me to express myself and impact others in a positive way.

I got hit by a car in June 2015. I suffered from 3 brain hemorrhages, a broken neck and an ABI.

Back in 2015 I was an alcoholic battling suspected PTSD. One night I developed aspirated pneumonia. I was rushed to the hospital. From there, I spent weeks on a ventilator.

I’m a media producer and a survivor of a ruptured AVM that happened in 1990 when I was thirty years old. 

In May 2019, aged 32 years old, I contracted encephalitis. It started as a headache at the base of my skull, dizziness and vomiting. The hospital diagnosed me with migraine and vertigo before sending me back home.

Just shy of my 25th birthday, I was on a date saying goodbye to a friend. As I stepped out of his vehicle, I got a whirling sensation in my head and high-pitched ringing in my ears and dropped to the ground.

In 2020, I dissected both of my carotid arteries while swimming. My survival chance was 2% but I strongly believe that with rehab and willpower, you can achieve the unexpected.