Hi All,
It’s been a while since I’ve posted. I have been a member/ lurker for a long time, but to recap… I had a ruptured blister brain aneurysm in 2023, followed by 21 days of vaso spasms, a few ICU stints, hydrocephalus and finally a VP shunt.
To say my recovery has been slow and long would be an understatement, But like many of us, I consider myself ridiculously fortunate - I am alive and I don’t feel like I have much to complain about - meaning I don’t have any visible cognitive or physical impairments. I have constant dizziness and exhaustion and headaches and a slew of other annoying things, but I am still here.
It wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I discovered Same You - the charitable organization that was founded by the UK’s Emilia Clarke, who coincidentally also experienced two brain aneurysms. I was watching her giving a speech while she was accepting an award at an event.
I have to say - by the time I finished watching her speech, I had tears in my eyes! I was so relieved! I had no idea that my (brain) recovery would be so long, or that I could be confident in knowing I would return to myself. No doctor has ever said this to me. I knew I was lucky, that I was fortunate, but I also knew that this whole ordeal was frightening. The brain is so incredible… it is where all of our tastes and personality traits exist. It can be so frightening and overwhelming when you can’t rely on or trust your own… brain.
Anyway, I encourage everyone to check out her charity and most definitely her speech. This group is so wonderful because it’s hard to remember sometimes that we are not alone. Stay positive and strong. xo
