Portrait: Nazia
My name is Nazia, and my brain injury story began at age 45 when I suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm (subarachnoid hemorrhage) and cerebral vasospasm.
Survivor Stories
Many of you have written to SameYou about your experience of brain injury and told us how you identified with Emilia's story. There was a common feeling of relief about hearing a familiar story from someone young, and speaking out to normalize the injury. People were comforted that Emilia had gone through something similar to them or to a family member or loved one.
The overwhelming emotion was of gratitude that Emilia was breaking her silence and that enabled and emboldened so many others to tell their brain injury story - some for the first time. It was as if people now have permission to speak out about their story.
I get days when I just want to give up. But after hearing your story it has made me realize, I'm not on my own!
You have told us that by sharing your stories, and reading other people's, offers hope, comfort and much needed peer-to-peer support that is often hard to find.
SameYou have created this support resource called Portraits to tell the untold story of brain injury. If you would like to share your story, you can submit your story via our Share your story page.
Portrait: Valeriia
My name is Valeriia. I’m a passionate linguist who has recently moved to Berlin. Just a short time ago I was unexpectedly diagnosed with a cerebellar stroke (ischemic stroke in the cerebellum), caused by a tear in one of the arteries in my neck.
Portrait: Kat
I first started working in mental health at the age of 18 and then gradually climbed the ladder to working within psychiatric secure units across Scotland. I worked with a wide range of individuals - one of the most memorable experiences being the five years I worked for BIRT, now called Brainkind, as a rehabilitation support worker.
Portrait: Julie
In April 2016 double vision and throbbing headaches forced me to visit an eye specialist. As a technical translator I was permanently working with two computer screens simultaneously. Perhaps I just needed new glasses. Unfortunately, I didn’t get away with it that easily.
Portrait: Walter
My name is Walter. In November 2018 and at just age 45, I was diagnosed with a vertebral artery dissection and a stroke. Two weeks prior to this, I experienced painful headaches that over-the-counter painkillers couldn't relieve.
Portrait: Katie
I am Katie, a 37-year-old mum of two.
Almost two and a half years ago, just a week after my 35th birthday, I suffered a series of 3 mini strokes caused by a neck injury which led to my blood vessel bending and stopping the blood flow to my brain.
Portrait: Chris
On Thanksgiving in 1992, Chris Bentley went to sleep and didn’t wake up for three weeks. An undetected cerebral arterial venous malformation (AVM) put massive pressure on his brain, leaving him in a coma. Thankfully, Chris recovered remarkably quickly.
Chris, 41, has now signed up for a new adventure… taking on a tough 200km cycling route for SameYou’s Ibiza Bike & Hike event this month. He says: “I’m hoping that participating in the Ibiza Bike & Hike event will help me break free from looking at my brain injury simply as a challenge to overcome and instead recognize it deep inside as a unique experience that has taught me a new way of living.”
Portrait: James
James shouldn't even be alive, let alone be able to walk and talk, after an accident in a Paris hotel left his brain so crushed that doctors were forced to remove part of his skull and store it in his abdomen to keep the bone marrow healthy.
Portrait: Breanna
My name is Breanna, and I am pursuing my MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience and Human Neuroimaging at the University of Sheffield. In 2021, I experienced an ischemic pontine stroke, which completely transformed my life.
Portrait: Amy
In September 2019, I was a 33-year-old teacher in Canada. I noticed that I was having a difficult time understanding the students when the class was noisy. I thought my ears were clogged. I therefore went to an audiologist.