Portrait: Robbie
Having suffered with anxiety most of my life, and particularly badly for the past couple of years, the diagnosis of my aneurysm in October 2023 hit me hard. I was already in a bad place with my mental health.
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: Kelly
I am Kelly, a brain injury survivor and caregiver to a daughter who sustained a traumatic brain injury at age three as the result of a car accident. My daughter's injury was life-threatening, and the diagnosis was immediate, even though the prognosis was not. My injury wasn't diagnosed until we returned home following her in-patient rehabilitation.
Portrait: Evgenia
Hi, my name is Evgenia. In 2008, my life took an unexpected turn when I became a survivor of a near-fatal car crash. The aftermath left me with a multi-fragmentary fracture, extensive soft-tissue damage, clinical death, transient global amnesia and retinal detachment.
Portrait: Flavia
In January 2021, I had been feeling off for a while. I went to see an ophthalmologist. From that point on, it all went very fast. He sent me to get a brain MRI the same day, then I was sent straight to the university hospital. They had identified a 35 mm (about 1.38 in) aneurysm in my brain.
Portrait: Laura
Aged 33, I was hit by a racing bike that skipped the lights whilst I was crossing the road. I was almost home when it happened. I remember recognising that an impact was imminent and seeing the white of the rider's eyes. After hitting my head, I only recall being picked out of the road by a stranger; the rider was gone.
Portrait: Holly
I experienced an ABI in October 2021. Following a successful donor stem cell transplant to cure Hodgkins Lymphoma, I developed an extraordinarily rare form of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) resulting in multiple brain lesions.
Portrait: Juan Jose
My name is Juan Jose, I am 35 years old and I am a social worker from the Republic of Honduras, Central America. I want to share my experience as a survivor of a ruptured brain aneurysm and the challenges that followed in my recovery process.
Portrait: Samantha
My name is Samantha. When I have to tell someone about my brain injury, I just say ‘I fell down’. My story is long and, quite frankly, traumatizing. So I say, ’I had a fall’. I do wish my story was cooler for you. I wish it involved sharks or crazy daredevil stunts.
Portrait: Chris
My name is Chris and I’m here to tell my story after being inspired by other survivors who have already shared theirs. I don’t like to talk about myself, but I think I need to practice doing this, and, for some reason, I thought this would be a safe place to start.
Portrait: Eliana
My name is Eliana, and I live in Providence, Rhode Island, with my husband and two daughters. Although I was diagnosed with a hemorrhagic stroke on October 7, 2022, at the age of 40, receiving this diagnosis and timely medical care was more of a challenge than you’d think.