Susan
Brain Haemorrhage Survivor
Susan was 11 years old and at school when she suddenly had a massive headache.
Her condition deteriorated rapidly. When her father came to collect her, she was vomiting and finally lapsed into coma. She had had a stroke.
Susan was taken straight to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital where it was found she was having a brain haemorrhage from a burst blood vessel in an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) – a mass of abnormal blood vessels.
Life-Saving neurosurgery was performed to contain the bleed and to remove the clot. The AVM was also removed.
One outcome could have been paralysis and loss of speech. Susan was lucky to have come out fit and well with only a small loss of her vision.
Susan has gone on to become a teacher and is currently concentrating on raising her two beautiful and healthy children.
Neurosurgical advances in techniques and knowledge are saving more lives.
Strokes are not common in childhood; when they do occur, urgent operation can be very successful.
Research funded by the NRF is helping to achieve these advances.
