On January 19, while out alone, I suffered a sudden, thunderclap splitting headache in a parking lot that left me unable to control the bottom half of my body, unable to open my eyes, and vomiting. I managed to call 911, and passed out not long after they got to me in that parking lot. Jahmon didn’t locate me until the next day and only located me because of location sharing as he was out of state. When he called the hospital to see if they had someone by my name, he learned I had been admitted to the ICU after emergency brain surgery for a 13.5mm brain hemorrhage and a 9mm midline brain shift—a life-threatening condition requiring immediate action the night before. My heart rate had gone to 19 and my pupils fixated. It was the OR or I was gone!

After Jahmon got the details, he called my family, booked a flight, and called my son to tell him to get to the hospital in St. Pete. He let him know I had undergone emergency brain surgery overnight and would be waking up soon. When Peyton arrived, I was still on life support and unable to breathe on my own. Within 20 minutes of him being there, I was finally able to breathe and have the tubes removed. When I finally saw him at my bedside, I grabbed his hand and cried, grateful he was there.

The past weeks have been a whirlwind of hospital stays with the most loving partner and family ever, multiple surgeries, a second hospitalization for an CSF leak from my incision and a whole separate surgery to remove all the sutures and staples and redo the entire wound seal to ensure no more leaking, a lumbar puncture, more CTs, and the start of a very long recovery. I spent 14 days in the hospital, faced ambulance and 3 surgery bills, and now need ongoing physical, occupational, and speech therapy on top of other follow up appts and treatments. This also includes transportation costs to said appts as I cannot drive and my kids do not have the paid time off to get me through this while Jahmon works out of North Carolina and had to go back after 3 generous weeks here from here employer. My short-term disability payments are almost out, as I had already been on FMLA and STD for a month from an unrelated procedure when this happened. The financial strain is overwhelming, and I’m reaching out for help to cover medical bills and living expenses while I focus on healing.

Brain bleeds and strokes can hit anyone at any time. While I wish this on no one, I know how quickly they can take over your life, even with no risk factors. Never did I anticipate a hemorrhagic stroke where, within minutes, my life was on the line. It’s a miracle I’m still here. Please share my story. I hope that by sharing my experience, even one person might recognize the signs in time to save their own life.