Get your ‘cuppa’ sit down, relax and get ready to be enlightened about what Brain Aneurysms is all about…in a non traditional way (I should add)!
It started as an ordinary morning for Sarah. The sun filtered gently through her linen kitchen curtains, with the sun rays beaming, casting a warm glow over her.
She had no idea that her life was about to change…forever!
As she rushed down the stairs to sit down for breakfast, there was a sudden, sharp pain behind her eyes that hit her like a bolt of lightning—an excruciating, thunderclap headache that brought her to tears and quickly to her knees.
Within moments, Sarah collapsed, her world as she knew it was going black.
What followed was a blur…she was awakened by the sharp bright lights of the emergency room, the sound of rushing footsteps, and whispered conversations she couldn’t understand.
Sarah had suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm—a silent, hidden time bomb that had been growing in her brain (also known as an acquired brain injury) unnoticed, for years…a brain aneurysm.
A brain aneurysm is a small bulge in the wall of a blood vessel in the brain, almost like a balloon waiting to pop.
Most of the time, aneurysms go unnoticed, silent and invisible, until the worst happens, they rupture without notice or understanding.
Sarah's aneurysm had ruptured, causing a hemorrhagic stroke—a catastrophic event where blood fills the brain, causing pressure, damage, and sometimes death.
But how did it all start?
Aneurysms can form for various reasons. For some, like Sarah, it’s a combination of factors she never saw coming: years of undiagnosed high blood pressure, a genetic predisposition she hadn’t known about, and perhaps a small amount of plaque building up in her arteries over the years. Her brain aneurysm was a ticking clock she had known knowledge of and could not be heard.
As the doctors worked to save her life, Sarah’s family learned more about this condition that had taken them by surprise. Aneurysms come in different forms, each with its own risks:
- Saccular (Berry) Aneurysms are the most common type, shaped like tiny berries hanging from a stem. They often occur at the branching points of major arteries in the brain, exactly where Sarah’s had formed.
- Fusiform Aneurysms, which cause an entire section of an artery to widen, these are less common but much harder to treat.
- Dissecting Aneurysms -can occur when trauma causes a tear in the artery wall, leading to a dangerous buildup of blood between layers of the vessel. These are rare but often fatal when they rupture.
Sarah’s aneurysm was saccular, a fragile, ballooned pouch that had been waiting for the right moment to burst. When it did, her brain was flooded with blood, triggering a race against time.
The Odds and the Aftermath
Globally, the statistics are daunting. About 1 in 50 people carry an unruptured brain aneurysm without knowing it (this was me before April 2010). But when an aneurysm ruptures, the survival rate drops drastically.
According to the World Health Organization, around 40% of people who experience a ruptured brain aneurysm do not survive the initial event (which is why I can’t help but share my story and be grateful every single day), and of those who do, about two-thirds will suffer from some form of permanent neurological impairment.
Sarah’s survival was a miracle in itself, but her battle was far from over. After emergency surgery to repair the rupture, she faced months of rehabilitation. Her memory had holes in it, like pages ripped from a book.
Tasks she once did without thinking—like walking, talking, even remembering her loved ones' faces, birthdays or memorable periods—now required monumental effort. They didn’t come naturally at all, in fact she had to be spoon fed information as triggers for her to remember (if she was to remember at all). Otherwise she had to relearn everything from scratch.
But Sarah fought. Each day she was reminded by what a good friend had said to her whilst in rehab, that our memory is like a muscle…work it!!! It was with this that she showed up to physical therapy, forcing her muscles to remember.
She attended cognitive therapy, trying to rebuild her memory, one fragment at a time. Her speech returned slowly, her strength even slower. And all the while, the question loomed: What if it happens again?
The road to recovery from a brain aneurysm is never simple, and for some, it's a road that never fully ends. Sarah was left with chronic fatigue, occasional dizziness, and an ever-present anxiety that another aneurysm could form. But amid the struggle, Sarah found something she hadn’t expected—gratitude.
Choosing Gratitude
Lying in her hospital bed during the early days of her recovery, Sarah began to see the world differently. Every breath, every blink of her eyes, felt like a gift. She realized how fragile life is, how quickly everything can change. Before the aneurysm, she had taken each day for granted, assuming there would always be a tomorrow.
But now, each sunrise felt like a miracle. Each laugh shared with family and friends felt like a treasure. Every small victory in her recovery—a step taken without wobbling, a sentence spoken without forgetting the words—felt monumental. The aneurysm had tried to take her life, But God… Thank God she had won the gift of surviving it, such that she had found a new appreciation for life and every one and thing in it!
“I was so close to not being here,” she would later say, her voice soft but filled with resolve. “But God…I thank God I am here, every day is a blessing.”
For Sarah, the journey through the storm of a brain aneurysm left her scarred, both physically and emotionally, but it also left her with a profound sense of purpose.
She learned that life is not about how much time we have, but how we spend it. The aneurysm had stolen many things from her—her physical strength, parts of her memory which contributed to her loss of confidence.
But it had also given her a rare gift: gratitude.
Gratitude for the people around her!
Gratitude for the small moments that make life beautiful.
Gratitude for the strength it takes to rebuild oneself after everything has crumbled. And most of all, gratitude of how precious life is.
In the quiet moments of her recovery, Sarah often thought of others—those who hadn’t survived, those still fighting in hospital rooms across the world.
The survival rate of a ruptured aneurysm may be grim, but for those who make it through, there is a sense of profound gratitude that follows. Each step forward, no matter how small, is a triumph. Each day, no matter how difficult, is a true sense of gratitude.
Sarah’s story is not unique, but it serves as a reminder to all of us: Life is fragile. We don’t know what tomorrow holds, but today—right now—is a moment we should all hold onto with everything we have. Whether we’re in perfect health or battling unseen enemies like Sarah’s aneurysm, we owe it to ourselves to live fully, to love fiercely, and to be grateful for every single breath!
Conclusion
Brain aneurysms are silent but deadly, affecting millions worldwide. The rupture of an aneurysm is a devastating event with sobering statistics, but survival—while rare—can open the door to a renewed appreciation for life. As Sarah’s story reminds us, every day is a gift.
#IChoose to be grateful to God for the incredible strength I have within me, especially when life tries to take it all away.
#IChoose to acknowledge that life is fragile, I will make all my moments count!
#IChoose to be grateful for the moments I share with the people I love,
Because in the end, gratitude for the life we live today might be the most important lesson and gift of all!
As my Brother or Sister I send you this post.x
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