BAF Changemaker: Vincent Rubino

Vincent Rubino of Chicago, IL with his partner Sandy


BAF: Tell us a little about your connection with brain aneurysms.

VR: Over two years ago, I was dating an enthusiastic, energetic, and lovely woman named Sandy. She brought joy and enthusiasm to everyone she met and was absolutely fearless. When meeting my dad (87 with a fair bit of dementia) for the first time, he kept getting confused about her origin being perhaps Chinese or Vietnamese and when she moved to the US. With a big smile, she would say, oh, no, I’m Japanese — my family has been in the US since the 1850’s and my father fought in WWII in Italy for the Americans (my dad was born in Italy and still living there during WWII). Afterward, we drove back home, and she commented about how charming my mom and especially my dad were. She loved that the last thing he said to her was, “See you at Thanksgiving.” Nothing fazed her. 

While we dated, she kept getting weird dizzy spells. She went to a neurologist for a workup, but they said there wasn’t enough to justify to her insurer that she needed an MRI. About a week after my dad passed, Sandy came over, and while we were hanging out together, she started choking. Having a friend who suffered from epilepsy, I tried to clear an airway but didn’t find anything. I called 911, and they told me to keep the compressions going. The EMTs came, and after working on her, we rushed to the hospital. I couldn’t go in with her as we were not kin. After waiting about 30 minutes, someone came to get me and led me to a very quiet storage room in the back. There, they asked if I had any way to contact her kids. I managed to log on to her phone (4 digits — not recommended, but certainly helpful under the circumstances), and they called her daughter. I then heard that she was heading up to the ICU, was in a coma, and was unlikely to recover.

The next day, we found that she had had an undiagnosed brain aneurysm, which burst and resulted in a massive brain hemorrhage. She most likely had passed while still at my condo before the EMTs even arrived. Fortunately, the compressions and EMTs kept her body alive long enough that she was able to be a lung donor. When the memorial service was held for Sandy, it expanded into a second room and, even so, was standing room only. She was just that deeply loved, not just by me and her family but by everyone she ever met.


BAF: When did you first learn about the BAF?

VR: When I began researching organizations to support in conjunction with the Boston Marathon, the Brain Aneurysm Foundation stood out as my top—and ultimately, my only—choice. The decision was deeply personal. Ever since Sandy passed away, my life has never been the same. The loss left an indelible mark on me, and I knew I wanted to honor her memory in a way that was truly meaningful. Running the marathon isn’t just about the race—it is about doing something significant, something powerful, to raise awareness and funds in her name.

BAF: Why is it important for you to be an advocate for the BAF community?

VR: I have another close friend who let me know that she has a diagnosed brain aneurysm. She’s still going strong and living her life to the fullest because she was able to get an MRI. If Sandy had been able to get an MRI, she would most likely still be alive. But occasional dizziness isn’t enough to justify an MRI. According to the BAF, 6.8 million Americans have unruptured brain aneurysms. That means for every 50 people you know, one of them has a brain aneurysm, probably undiagnosed, and can pass at any moment. Given the state of medicine in the US, it’s critical that there is a cheaper way to diagnose brain aneurysms so they can be managed. Knowing that one of the Brain Aneurysm Foundation’s key goals is to develop a path to earlier and more affordable diagnosis is something that means a great deal to me.

Support Vincent in his fundraising efforts HERE