A Brain What?

September Brain Aneurysm Month

Sep 02, 2024

Why Does Murph Love Me So Much?

Murphy’s Law?

When I say thank you for being here, I mean it with all sincerity. I have ruefully, but not deliberately, neglected this newsletter. While MIA, lots of topics have come up to be shared later. For now, let’s just say, the road to book launch was fabulous, organized, and ready to be executed. The response and feedback to Not Yours to Keep has been staggeringly positive and (mostly) kind. PR started rolling, interviews started happening, Zoom meetings and emails demanding immediate attention got handled, marketing initiatives kicked off, graphics needed designing, posts were posting. Mind swirling, eye-crossing, running on three hours of sleep, exciting, wonderful complaints. Good, fun stress. But as anyone with an autoimmune disease can tell you, stress and lack of routine can trigger your body into giving itself a giant middle finger. And just for shits and giggles, while run-down and struggling to rally back, Covid came and bit me hard on the butt.

It forced me to cancel everything for a week. Despite feeling like death for a couple of days, gotta say, it was rejuvenating. It left no choice but to relax, and organize thoughts, prioritize deadlines and get the calendar straight. The recovery started and a sense of capable enthusiasm emerged, readied and chomping for the virus to evacuate. The two-month to launch countdown passed without my notice, but the big time is here. ONLY FIVE WEEKS TO LAUNCH. We’re going to grab it by the you-know-whats and it’s going to be fantabulous! Except life took an unexpected home run slide into a puddle of horse dung. Still cleaning off. ~We’ll talk.

And Now For Something Completely Serious…

As if the piece above wasn’t 🤨

Since the inception of this newsletter, you’ve been privy to the beginning and middle of my brain aneurysm story. It’s felt rude leaving you at the cliffhanger- waiting for surgery. Forgive me though, because this moment in time warrants a recap, and the focus, rather than on the personal story, is the larger picture. Yesterday, September 1, 2024, marked the start of Brain Aneurysm month.

Most of you know I’m brevity deficient, but giving it a shot:

My aneurysm story began with hearing loss. No Joke. Read this
What’s a brain aneurysm? A weak, bulging, balloon-like area in the brain's artery. I can explain
The size and shape of an aneurysm matter. Mine was not a concern. Here’s why
So, there’s a ticking time bomb in my head, and they tell me to go out and live my life. Check back next year. So I did. And the Focker had grown. Not cool. Still, the shape and size probably weren’t concerning. Only one way to tell—surgery. How did this aspiring author handle it? Click now
Facing dangerous surgery, I prepared for potential mortality. Here’s one method for doing it

More gasp-worthy details to follow another time, though obviously, you know surgery had some success, because who else is writing this?

Since that surgery, it’s been a passionate mission to advocate and volunteer for Brain Aneurysm Awareness and research. My involvement in the cause is not only driven by personal experiences, but the tragic loss of a family member to a rupture. It’s also to honor a friend in her recovery, and support the too many other people I’ve discovered in my life who had their lives changed by an aneurysm.

Brain aneurysm awareness and research are essential in fighting this silent threat. We need to talk about it, and talk about it often.

What can you do?

September is Brain Aneurysm Month. Your support and active participation in commemorating family and friends, profoundly affected by aneurysms, is warmly welcome.

The Brain Aneurysm Foundation has many events this month to raise awareness and funds to support those impacted by brain aneurysms. These are great ways to do good while having fun, virtually or in-person. From PA to Chicago to Florida, you can find one near you. In New York, there are two:

September 14 @ 8:00 am - 11:30 am: 2024 Annual TeamCindy 5K Run for Research, Hudson River Park, Pier 62, West 23rd Street, New York, New York, United States (**This author’s favorite)

September 21 @ 8:30 am - 12:00 pm: 15th Annual Long Island Walk, Jones Beach State Park Ocean Parkway, Wantagh, New York, United States