Brain Aneurysm Foundation

I’m fundraising for the Brain Aneurysm Foundation!

Their mission:

To promote early detection of brain aneurysms through education and awareness, support patients and families, and advance research that saves lives.

In July 2022, I experienced my first set of thunderclap headaches—sudden, excruciating pain that left me with tunnel vision, slurred speech, and muffled hearing. I’d lived with migraines and headaches for most of my life, but something about this felt different.

Still, I didn’t get checked out right away. Like so many others, I didn’t know the signs—or the risks.

It wasn’t until April 2023 that I finally underwent an MR-A. That scan revealed an aneurysm in my left internal carotid artery, behind my left eye and pressing on my optic nerve.

I was immediately referred to the incredible neurosurgery team at Jefferson Health in Philadelphia. During a follow-up angiogram—considered the gold standard for diagnosis—we learned the aneurysm was twice as large as previously thought, oddly shaped, and leaking. It had likely been the cause of those thunderclap headaches nearly a year before.

I’m incredibly lucky. Most people don’t get that kind of warning.

In May 2023, I underwent a stent surgery to repair the aneurysm. The procedure itself went well, but the blood thinners I needed afterward caused unexpected complications—I lost my left ovary and fallopian tube due to hemorrhagic cysts. It was a physically and emotionally grueling year.

But in November 2023, I was declared aneurysm-free.

Now, in 2025, I’m lacing up for the Brain Aneurysm Foundation’s 5K—not just to raise money, but to reclaim this chapter of my life. I’m running to honor the people who didn’t get the warning I did, and to prove that strength doesn’t always look the way we expect it to.

Whether you donate, share, or simply cheer me on, thank you for being part of this journey.