My Stroke of Insight by Paige

My Stroke of Insight by Paige - December 2022 Scholarship Essay

Life lessons sometimes occurs whether one is ready or not. On an unassuming evening this past April, my life abruptly changed trajectory when I suffered a brain hemorrhage from a congenital arteriovenous malformation (AVM). Although I consider my survival from this injury a miracle, I am now challenged with recovery, treatment, and long-lasting effects. This experience has sparked personal growth and a new understanding of myself in ways I couldn't have imagined.

A brain AVM develops in utero and is an area of malformed arteries and veins. These blood vessels lack pressure-controlling capillaries and can form anywhere in the body. Many AVMs go unnoticed for a lifetime but those that rupture are problematic and are hopefully non-fatal. My AVM sits at the back of my cerebellum near the right side of the brainstem; this proximity renders it unable to be removed surgically. The cerebellum controls coordination, balance, and fine motor skills, and burst blood vessels in this area caused me an array of right side deficits such as difficulty with writing, walking, speaking, and vision impairment.

There is no medical intervention for my long-lasting deficiencies therefore, I’m focused on physical therapy while undergoing preemptive treatment to disable blood flow against future bursts. This plan includes scans for the next three years and two treatments of gamma knife radiation to the AVM site. For me, recovery from this traumatic experience has been both a physical and emotional triumph.

Working toward recovery has flooded me with gratitude for what wasn’t lost and for what else is to come. I’ve learned to appreciate the serenity of silence, to be patient, give grace to others and myself, especially. I also have developed a heightened appreciation for teamwork due to the work of medical staff, family, and friends, who have all played a large part in my recovery. I look forward to reaching my potential as I now fully trust myself to overcome any obstacle.

After experiencing neuro-intensive care, I understand medical scans can be frightening while at the same time, vital to one's recovery. Stemming from my stroke of insight I hope to share what I know now to be both blessing and revelation to others touched by brain injury. In my educational and career pursuit I hope to improve the patient experience and current technology via a vigorous biomedical engineering program. With assistance from this scholarship, it's my intent to explore and build upon current research in medical technology used for neuroscience. It’s my dream to improve medical scanning tools not only in my local community but also at a national level.