Scott and Cheryl’s Story

When Cheryl suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm nearly 20 years ago, she and her husband Scott had no idea what was happening, only that their lives would never be the same. What followed was a grueling 245-day hospital stay, countless challenges, and a determination to turn their pain into purpose. In this heartfelt video, Cheryl and Scott reflect on the misdiagnosis that nearly cost her life, the long road to recovery, and their shared mission to raise awareness so others won’t have to endure the same journey.

Video Transcript:

Scott:
Cheryl’s story… we had no idea what a brain aneurysm was. We were introduced to it the moment she hit the floor. For several months, she had headaches on and off that just wouldn’t go away. This time, the doctor said it was just stress: after-school activities, work, raising three kids, running the household. All of it. So she told Cheryl to try yoga. And I want to say it was no more than a couple of weeks after that that she ruptured.

Cheryl:
I never knew what an aneurysm was until I had one. Honestly, I don’t even think my doctor did. We were taking yoga classes and doing all these things that were supposed to help.

Scott:
People who get misdiagnosed and then suffer a rupture… their lives change forever. And financially, it’s a tremendous hardship. Cheryl was in the hospital for…

Cheryl:
Two hundred and forty-five days.

Scott:
Right. Two hundred and forty-five days before she came home. There’s a constant expense that comes with it. And if, 20 years ago, a doctor had said, “Let’s get a CT scan or an MRI,” the outcome could have been very different. If you go to the ER and say you’re having chest pains, you go straight to the top of the list. They rule out the worst first. But if you go in with a headache, they start at the bottom. And it can take months, even years, for someone to work their way back up the diagnostic ladder. That has to change.

What motivates us now is looking back over the last 20 years at everything we’ve had to deal with. She can’t work. She can’t drive. There’s a lot she’s no longer able to do. But we had to find something we could do. We met Christine, got introduced to the Brain Aneurysm Foundation, and we’ve done a lot to spread awareness since then. And that’s…

Cheryl:
After everything I’ve gone through, all I think is, I never want someone else to experience what I have. This August marks 20 years since my rupture.

Scott:
An anniversary of sorts.

Cheryl:
One I’d rather use to raise awareness and help prevent this from happening to someone else. That would be truly empowering.