Meet Tina

"I'd never heard of an aneurysm, until it happened to me."

Tina suffered a brain aneurysm, which is a bulging, weak area in the wall of a blood vessel or artery that supplies blood to the brain. Tina's aneurysm was only slightly leaking when she went to her local ER. Within an hour, however, that aneurysm ruptured, releasing a deadly amount of blood into Tina's skull, causing her to have a stroke.

Many people who suffer a ruptured aneurysm, also known as a subarachnoid hemorrhage, either die or experience long-term brain damage, depending on the severity of the hemorrhage. Fortunately, Tina was in the talented hands of Ohio State's neurosurgery experts—and in one of Ohio's most advanced neurosurgical suites.

Thanks to the quick thinking of the local ER, Tina was in surgery at Ohio State's Wexner Center less than one hour after arriving at the first hospital. As Dr. Ciaran Powers worked to stop the bleeding in her brain, he discovered that Tina actually had five aneurysms.

It was Dr. Powers's fast response and expert surgical treatment that quickly repaired the ruptured brain aneurysm and stabilized Tina—not only saving her live, but preventing her from suffering long-term disabilities.

After later undergoing one more surgery to repair Tina's aneurysms, the grateful mother was back home a little over two weeks later.

"One year later, I'm living life just as I was before."

Tina knows that she got this second chance because only Ohio State's surgeons have the surgical stroke expertise to treat any brain emergency. It was their expert treatment, along with the smart actions of the local ER, that saved her life. One year since that dreadful day, Tina is making the most out of every minute. On the weekends, you'll either find her riding motorcycles with her husband Marty or camping and fishing with her family.

She's also become an advocate for stroke prevention, educating people about brain aneurysms and urging everyone to get immediate medical attention if they experience any unusual head pain.