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Thinking that my Trigeminal Neuralgia was getting worse, I went to my primary doctor who has been wonderful and knowledgeable with Trigeminal Neuralgia. He set me up for MRI, two denials later, I find myself getting a emergency appointment with a neurologist. I didn't know why as I wasn't told and when neurologist office offered later appointment, my doctors office said, tell them you have an aneurysm! So I found out over the phone. Found out later it was missed by two neurologists and had it since 2004. It is 7 mm , had an Angiogram in September and am now on a wait and watch with MRI in a year. Neurologist said it is stable and I do trust him , but this thing is in me and living with both the aneurysm and Trigeminal Neuralgia is hard.

Hello my name is Connie and I am a brain aneurysm survivor. I experienced it on my twin daughters 31st birthday November 8, 2017. On the morning of that day I got up not feeling well. As every morning I reminded my teenage son to make sure he locked the front door as he left for school but because I wasnt feeling well I refrained from reminding him to do so. He kissed me and shut the door. As I do every morning I check to ensure he locked the doir and then go into the bathroom to bath but because I began feeling worst I changed my mind and went back to lay down. As I laid down the room began spinning and God told me to get on my knees to pray. While I began praying God also told me to reach for my cellphone to hit 0, so I did. Well, thank God I did. I woke up a month later to see that I was in a hospital. It saved my life and so did my son. First he left the door unlocked which gave the paramedics access into my home and when he discovered my car was still there and furniture moved around he contacted his dad to tell him. When my husband got home he contacted my job to find out that I never showed for work, which was uncommon and through a neighbor told him they seen someone taken away by ambulance. I suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm and so grateful God has placed all the medical professionals, family and friends in my life. Still I am recovering and looking forward to enjoying my life.

I was attending a famous party and some large decorations hit me in the head. I was in and out of a coma for a week in Intensive care at the hospital. I had some bleeding of the brain. I was sent home without treatment? A few months later I still had such bad headache's, I was sleeping all the time. almost like I was in a coma again. A friend called the doctor and related my condition, I was taken for MRI. Two hours later I had brain surgery for Brain Aneurysm. "The Doctor said if I had not come in when I did I would not be here." The Doctors I talked too. . . will not admit it? but I feel A bad TBI brain injury can possibly cause Brain Aneurysms?

I am sitting here today with two in my brain. July 2018 the docs went in to do a stent and coil process called ELVIS through my groin. It did not work. They tried entry through my left arm. No go. One is a 5cm broad neck and the other behind my right eye at cm. I keep myself very aware not to stress myself by lifting too much and being aware of my head positoin. A walking time bomb I am. Three years ago a sister had one bleed and survived wonderfully! We both have a kidney disease and sure enough both of us have aneurysms. In 2001 my brother in law (of same sister) died of an aneurysm just when the coiling process came out. I'm keeping the faith.

Ok third time's the charm. So I had my aneurysm in 2005. It all started normally I had been suffering migraine headaches after at mva in 1988. I had recently married and was at the clinic on base (my husband is military) for a normal check up. The PA suggested I have an MRI which I did only to find out the next day that I had a 4cm aneurysm at the junction of my left optimistic artery and corerad artery, my surgery was not long after, but I had been given the best neurosurgeon in the southeast, at MCG in Augusta Ga. I'm still alive not only to the Lord but to all those He put in my path to heal me. I want to thank you for bringing this condition to the world, because a lot of people don't understand.

In October of 2015 my mom suffered her 1st brain aneurysm....she survived...they coiled (13 coils) and she went on to live an adjusted lifestyle but overall extremely lucky and grateful she came out for the most part in tact and functioning amazingly well. Fast foward to summer of 2017 and she had a 2nd aneurysm just off the opening of the original site...again she survived...I know CRAAAZY!!!....this time they actually opened her up and performed the clipping procedure... remarkably she is still with us and functioning at pretty much 100%. She had minimal to zero warning signs either time but looking back we could have possibly recognized SOMETHING had we known more about aneurysms....there was some personal stress in her life prior to the 1st one....she did mention the tingling tongue sensation but always kind of dismissed it...and had always suffered from headaches but once the aneurysms bled those headaches she described as unbearable...had she not gone to hospital right away either time she would not be with us today....1st time she bent over to pick up her purse and the 2nd time she rolled over in bed....simple movements of every day life. She was a smoker for many many years and the doctors advised that should she start smoking again after the 1st aneurysm she would surely suffer with another and surviving 2 is almost impossible. She stopped smoking...one of the greatest gifts of her having gone through these ordeals. The trauma has had life long effects of course, she has some memory deficiencies, is afraid every day of it happening again and has suffered other minor changes however overall we have been so incredibly fortunate to have more time with her and to take each day as a true blessing. My heart aches for those who have not been on the winning side of these disastrous little beasts....I send you love, light and strength as you grieve your loved one.

My Mom suddenly passed away on 11/11/2014 at the young age of 52 due to a brain aneurysm. She had migraines on and off for most of her life. About a year before her passing, her doctor recommended she get a CT scan, which she got done, but nothing showed up, so he just prescribed her medication for the headaches. A few months before she passed, the headaches got increasingly worse, but my Mom hardly ever complained because she never complained about anything. She thought it was hormonal because she was approaching menopause. Needless to say, that wasn’t the case. Losing my Mom was the biggest heartbreak to our family. She was the light of our lives and we miss her every single day. One miracle in all of this was that we donated several of my Mom’s organs and we found out a year later that she saved a 20-year old girl with Cystic Fibrosis who was on life support. She received both of my Mom’s lungs and liver. We have had the honor of meeting the donor recipient and keep in contact, she is the most gracious and amazing person we’ve ever met. I didn’t know about the Lisa Colagrossi Foundation until I saw a commercial this morning and just felt I had to share my story. Raising awareness to detect early signs of brain aneurysm is so needed and could help save so many lives. Don’t ignore the symptoms!

My mother passed away from a Brain aneurysm in 1984 at the age of 61. It Came out of nowhere, but later on we found out that she was having headaches and she said that she felt that she had a band around her head. Fast forward to 2018, my son who is 20 years old is being worked up for a connective tissue disease, because he is double jointed, and my mother was double jointed, and now apparently research is saying The connective tissue diseases run in families, that they are not random. So my son was worked up genetically for connective tissue disease at Yale Haven Hospital in New Haven Connecticut, and it did turn out that both my son and I have a gene variant on MYH 11 that causes aneurysms in the brain and in the aorta. So now we have to be followed with echocardiograms and MRIs and the rest of our lives. We had lost track of my mother’s family, and I recently have connected with two cousins, and both of them head relatives that died I’m aneurysms. The people that died woman with her first cousins. So now what I thought was random has now become pretty scary.

My 21 year old daughter, Margaret Helen Lowe, died of a RCA Aneurysm September 1, 2015 while running at the University of Virginia. We have a race called Miles for Margaret that raises money for her personal philanthropies on the UVA Campus. I did not know about the Lisa Foundation until Fox and Friends. Her survivors have been devastated by her death. Margaret donated 9 organs all her vital organs as well as bone, skin, and corneas. She complained of headaches and a CAT scan showed no abnormalities. She took Maxalt as her headaches were diagnosed as migraines. My sons are refusing the MRA test at this point. My husband and I are both physicians and we did not ignore her symptoms. We are happy to help in any way to prevent the heartache we have experienced.

In 1976, when I was 16 years old, my mother (age 42) suffered a fatal brain aneurysm. It was a traumatic time for our family. I am the youngest of 3 children. My Mother was divorced,with my brother and I still living at home. At the time, my brother had just graduated from high school and embarked on an adventure exploring the US with a friend. Having him away was difficult, but what we were to go through as a family was even tougher. The last we had heard from my brother was that he was in Colorado; Estes Park to be specific. And then the floods came. Every night, my mother would watch the coverage of the devastation in Estes, still having not heard from my brother. Was he still there? Was he safe? Why doesn't he call? We were worried, and had so many questions. That's when it happened. With a rummage sale planned for the upcoming weekend, Mom had family friends over to help with preparations. At one point, she had mentioned that she had such a terrible headache. She sat down to take a small break. At that moment, she passed out. She was rushed to our local hospital and eventually transferred to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. At 16, I was frightened and left feeling helpless. For the next 7 days, she remained in a coma. We would visit, talk with her and hold her hand. Day after day, no response. Meanwhile, still no word from my brother. Stressed, and not knowing what was happening with our brother, we still had to deal with the deteriorating situation with my Mom. My father was in the Merchant Marines, so, we all felt pretty helpless. Three teenagers, basically alone, were left to deal with her medical decisions. The doctors had put upon us one of the most difficult decisions we ever had to make. They could do surgery, removing a portion of her brain, most definately rendering her in a vegitative state. We knew that's not what our mother wanted. That wasn't life, and we were 100% certain that she wouldn't want to live like that. As painfull as it was, we made the decision not to do the surgery. We sat. We waited. Uncertainty is so many ways. On the 9th day, we receive a call from the Red Cross. They had found our brother! Alive and well! Thank God!! They had relayed to him what was happening back home and advised that he return ASAP. He and his friend had left Colorado and headed to the hospital. We still visited Mom in shifts, talked to her, joked with her, sang with her everyday. Waiting...for any type of response. Nothing. The prognosis was not good. We knew it, we felt it. It was Fall; early September. At 16, I should have been back to school. Instead, our days were filled with worry, spending all day at the hospital, taking turns with other relatives to visit with Mom when we could. On this particular, bright and sunny day, we were once again sitting in the hospital waiting room to take our turn, when I look up and see my brother! Walking quickly towards us, but looking tired, stressed and thin. After all, he had just been through quite the ordeal too. But on top of all that, he learns about his Mother, barely clinging to life and trying his best to make it home. But, he's safe, and he's home! After briefly filling him in on what has happened and bringing him up to date on her status, of course, he is anxious to see his mother. We all went into the room. To this point, we have tried everything to get some kind of response from our Mother; but nothing. My brother, also feeling defeated and so worried, finally gets to Mom's bedside. He gently puts her hand in his. As tears rolled down his face, he caresses her hand and tells her " Mom, it's me, Randy. I'm here, I'm home. It's gonna be OK". At that moment, he felt a very faint movement! Our Mother, who we've had no response from at all the last 8 days, very lightly squeezed his hand! We couldn't believe it! Could that mean that she is coming back to us?! Our hopes didn't last long...shortly after, our Mother was called home. Her struggle was over. It took such a long time for our lives to get back to somewhat normal. None of us expected to lose her at such a young age. And we were just kids ourselves. Nevertheless, our Mother raised 3 strong kids. We struggled, but we all survived and all moved on tohave healthy happy lives. Fast forward to 2004. Allof us 3 kids are grown and married. Since we lost our Mother and became adults, we have all been faithful about annual check ups. My brother and I both inherited my Mom's high blood pressure, so my doctor was mindful of that, as well as the family medical history with my mother. I had started getting alot headaches, and some leg pain. I mentioned that to my doctor at my next visit. Because of the family, medical history, my doctor suggested having an MRA. Approximately a week later,I received the call from my doctor telling me that I had a brain aneurysm! The next week, I went in for consultation with my doctor, who had arranged for immediate admission to a hospital in Mankato, MN. for major surgery, shaving of the head, along with 8-12 weeks of recovery. I was scared. Was I headed for the same fate as my mother? That night, I went home to make arrangements for surgery in Mankato,calling friends and family to inform them. My sister-in-law, who works at Mayo clinic in Rochester, suggested a 2nd opinion. She intended to go to work the following day and talk to a few experts and doctors there. Within 24 hrs., I recieved a call from Dr. Brown, head of neurology at Mayo clinic. He explained to me that they were currently doing a study on the correlation of brain aneurysms among siblings, and wanted to take on my case. Within 1 day, I was at Mayo, talking with a team of doctors, going through tests and listening to their plan of attack for my aneurysm. To make a long story short, Mayo clinic did a coiling procedure on my aneurysm and everything went smoothly. And....I missed 2 days of work! I can't tell you how thankful I am for Dr. Brown, his team, Mayo and all the friends and family that were involved in my diagnosis and helped with treatment plan. I feel so very blessed and fortunate for them, and also for the advancements in medical technology (and even the difference in procedures between hospitals!). My Mother was only 42 when she passed of a brain aneurysm. Another fact that I left out of this long story is that my father also died of a brain aneurysm at age 61! I feel like I've been given a second chance at life. Over the years, I have told this story several times to people that seem to have symptoms, or even just in normal conversations. Since that time, both my siblings have also had testing done to detect aneurysms and have, thankfully been free.