All Survivor Stories

Portrait: John image

Portrait: John

During a high school playoff game, I was fouled while going up for a lay-up and slammed my head on the hardwood floor.

I was rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with a major concussion. During the MRI, doctors noticed a “shadow” on my cerebellum that required consistent monitoring to ensure it didn't grow.

I sought out one of the best neurologists in New York and ended up at Columbia Presbyterian in Manhattan.

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Portrait: Breanna image

Portrait: Breanna

My name is Breanna, and I am pursuing my MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience and Human Neuroimaging at the University of Sheffield. In 2021, I experienced an ischemic pontine stroke, which completely transformed my life. 

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Portrait: Sammy image

Portrait: Sammy

I had a massive stroke that affected my left brain. I was healthy, going out, taking care of my two kids and a husband, and working full time. Out of the blue, I fell back to my bed and slumped down to the floor I thought...oh my, this is going to be it 

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Portrait: Johnny image

Portrait: Johnny

My names Johnny, and I suffered a life-threatening brainstem bleed/pontine hemorrhage back in the summer of 2021. After, I was put in an induced coma for two weeks with a not-so-great prognosis of survival. My family and children were told to expect the worst: that I may not wake and if I was to come around, I would be in a vegetative state for the rest of my life with just eye movement and slight face or oral movement!

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Portrait: James image

Portrait: James

James shouldn't even be alive, let alone be able to walk and talk, after an accident in a Paris hotel left his brain so crushed that doctors were forced to remove part of his skull and store it in his abdomen to keep the bone marrow healthy.

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Portrait: Robbie image

Portrait: Robbie

Having suffered with anxiety most of my life, and particularly badly for the past couple of years, the diagnosis of my aneurysm in October 2023 hit me hard. I was already in a bad place with my mental health.

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Portrait: Kelly image

Portrait: Kelly

I am Kelly, a brain injury survivor and caregiver to a daughter who sustained a traumatic brain injury at age three as the result of a car accident. My daughter's injury was life-threatening, and the diagnosis was immediate, even though the prognosis was not. My injury wasn't diagnosed until we returned home following her in-patient rehabilitation.

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Portrait: Evgenia image

Portrait: Evgenia

Hi, my name is Evgenia. In 2008, my life took an unexpected turn when I became a survivor of a near-fatal car crash. The aftermath left me with a multi-fragmentary fracture, extensive soft-tissue damage, clinical death, transient global amnesia and retinal detachment.

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Portrait: Flavia image

Portrait: Flavia

In January 2021, I had been feeling off for a while. I went to see an ophthalmologist. From that point on, it all went very fast. He sent me to get a brain MRI the same day, then I was sent straight to the university hospital. They had identified a 35 mm (about 1.38 in) aneurysm in my brain.

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Portrait: Laura image

Portrait: Laura

Aged 33, I was hit by a racing bike that skipped the lights whilst I was crossing the road. I was almost home when it happened. I remember recognising that an impact was imminent and seeing the white of the rider's eyes. After hitting my head, I only recall being picked out of the road by a stranger; the rider was gone.

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