Portrait: Sandra
On 8th April 2019 my life changed forever. I was a fit, healthy, non-smoking fun loving 49-year-old who lived life to the fullest. I was having a great time skiing on a snowy Italian mountain on the annual ski trip with the school I work at when, without warning, I felt this sudden pain like I had been smashed in the head. It was a pain I will never forget, nor do I ever want to feel it again. I had no idea that what was unravelling in my head could have killed me.

About Sandra
On 8th April 2019 my life changed forever. I was a fit, healthy, non-smoking fun loving 49-year-old who lived life to the fullest. I was having a great time skiing on a snowy Italian mountain on the annual ski trip with the school I work at when, without warning, I felt this sudden pain like I had been smashed in the head. It was a pain I will never forget, nor do I ever want to feel it again. I had no idea that what was unraveling in my head could have killed me.
Grieving my previous life
I had suffered a NASAH (nonaneurysmal sub arachnoid hemorrhage). Life as I knew it ended on that mountain, and the Sandra I knew died up there. I am a shadow of who I once was and struggle daily with the effects of my NASAH. There was no clear reason given for what happened to me— it wasn’t due to altitude like I first thought. It could have happened to me at any point. I spent three weeks in an Italian hospital., My husband was with me through my stay, even though it was tremendously hard for him, as his father had died from an aneurysm a few years earlier.
How I’m doing now
In the last five and a half years I have learned through trial and error how to manage the effects of my brain hemorrhage. I am left with debilitating fatigue if I don't recognize the warning signs. This has been a huge learning curve and life lesson, one we've faced together as a family.
Thankfully, I'm fortunate enough to still work full time in the same role as I did before my NASAH. My family and a few close friends have been so invaluable to my recovery, I owe them so much! They gave me my purpose and reason to carry on, even when it would have been so easy to give up.
My advice to you
This will never define me. Even on my worst days, there's always a reason to carry on. Every day I learn something new about me, some days are better than others, but I never take life for granted. It can change in the blink of an eye— or, in my case, a pop, bang, or crash in the head. Life is for living. Stay strong survivors, you've got this.