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News

  • November 16, 2023
    60-Year-Old Brain Aneurysm Survivor Runs NYC Marathon
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  • November 13, 2023
    Peloton Star Partnering with BAF to Promote Brain Aneurysm Awareness, Research
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  • October 16, 2023
    Lauren Miller Rogen Reveals She Had Brain Aneurysm Removed: ‘I’m Truly Grateful’
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  • September 19, 2023
    NBC News: Brain Aneurysm Awareness Month with Sharon Epperson
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  • September 08, 2023
    Mom of 4 Who Died of Brain Aneurysm at Son’s Football Game Donates 4 Organs: ‘She Saved Lives’
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  • September 05, 2023
    Brain Aneurysm Foundation Launches New Campaign to Increase Disease Awareness and Accelerate Research
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  • July 05, 2023
    German Fitness Influencer Jo Lindner Dies of Aneurysm at 30
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  • June 03, 2023
    Influencer Jackie Miller James in Medically Induced Coma After Aneurysm Ruptures a Week from Due Date
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  • May 19, 2023
    Father of ‘Jeopardy!’ star dies of brain aneurysm: Here’s what you need to know
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  • May 05, 2023
    UC Research Team Receives Brain Aneurysm Foundation Grant
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In My Area

Support groups
  • AdventHealth Brain Aneurysm Support Group

    Winter Park, FL

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  • Baltimore Brain Aneurysm Foundation Support Group

    Lutherville-Timonium, MD

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  • Bay Area Aneurysm and Vascular Malformation Support Group

    San Francisco, CA

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  • March 07, 2022
  • BAF
  • Awareness
  • Survivor
  • Symptoms

Woman With 5 Brain Aneurysms Recalls Surviving Rupture: ‘It Scared Me To Death’

A woman in Maryland is sharing her story after surviving an aneurysm rupture, only to find that she had five total aneurysms that needed to be operated on.

Ilona Downs-Hicks told TODAY that she first realized something was wrong when she experienced a painful headache in the middle of the night in August 2021.

“I just had a feeling that something was wrong, because when the pain hit me, it made me freeze in place for maybe 15 to 20 seconds,” Downs-Hicks recalled. “I knew that it was not a regular headache or migraine.”

Downs-Hicks sought treatment at a local hospital, where she was diagnosed with a single aneurysm and given resources about where to pursue further treatment. Downs-Hicks made the requisite appointments, but said she was “scared to death” about what the future might hold, especially after another doctor indicated that she might have two aneurysms, not one.

 



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