Middle Tennessee artist recovers from large aneurysm after quick neurosurgery

At 66 years old, Julia's life in Spring Hill, Tennessee was filled with creativity and activity. An avid artist, she had managed her asthma since she was born and enjoyed a relatively healthy life. But she never imagined going to bed one evening and waking up to symptoms of a brain aneurysm, which is a bulging or ballooning blood vessel in the brain.

Showing signs of a neurological condition

Julie and her husband had enjoyed a typical evening out, dining and relaxing before falling asleep at home. In the early hours of Friday morning, her husband awoke to Julie having a seizure, struggling to breathe. He quickly sat her up to help her breathe and rushed to get their son and his family, who lived in the basement. They called 911, but it took the paramedics 30 minutes to arrive.

“I saw a lot of very tall people. It looked like everyone was dressed in black and I didn’t understand why—am I dreaming, why are all these people here?” recalled Julie. The paramedics quickly got her on a stretcher and rushed her to a local hospital where a CAT scan revealed a large brain aneurysm behind her left eye. Julie was transferred to Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital West for advanced brain and neurology care.

Personalized care for emergency neurology care

While being transferred she had another seizure and underwent another CAT scan. John Spooner, MD, neurosurgeon at Howell Allen Clinic with Ascension Saint Thomas, met with Julie’s family to share options to treat her aneurysm. He explained that due to her age and the aneurysm's location behind her left eye, surgery would be risky and could involve removing part of her skull. This procedure would take 10-12 hours, with an expected hospital stay of 10-12 weeks. The family agreed to proceed with the surgery called a left carotid artery cerebral arteriogram and Julie went into surgery with an uncertain future.

As her husband and twin sons braced for a long wait, Dr. Spooner completed the surgery in just 40 minutes. He informed the anxious family that the surgery was over, and Julie was expected to wake soon. “I have never seen an aneurysm this large in my entire career—how she didn't have a stroke or any headaches is astonishing,” said Dr. Spooner.

It took Julie three days to wake up, but when she finally woke up on Sunday morning, she was disoriented, having no memory of why she was in the ICU. The nurses conducted cognitive tests and reassured her that her memory would return to normal. She was eager to get back home, but her care team urged her to rest to help with recovery. “I was tired but had no pain, no headache, no discomfort of any kind.”

Compassionate care through recovery

By Monday, Julie was discharged and able to go home to rest. For six weeks she stayed in bed as she adjusted to her seizure medication. At a follow-up appointment with Dr. Spooner four weeks later, Julie didn’t recognize the man who had saved her life. Four weeks later, Julie got the chance to see Dr. Spooner during a follow-up appointment where she told him that he was her miracle doctor. Dr. Spooner replied, “You are my miracle patient, God is not done with you yet.”

Conditions that affect your brain or nervous system can cause symptoms in other parts of your body. When experiencing a brain aneurysm patients can lose memory, motor function, speech impairment and balance. Despite losing four days of memory, Julie can fully function her body, her balance is intact and she has returned to making art. “I am just absolutely blown away. I get to be here another day and be with my kids and grandkids,” she said. “I feel amazing—very emotional and I cried a lot because I could have died. I have so many things to be thankful for.” 

Advanced brain and neurology care

As Julie continues to recover, her gratitude towards Dr. Spooner and the Howell Allen Clinic brain care team continues to grow. At Howell Allen Clinic with Ascension Saint Thomas we deliver advanced care for stroke, aneurysms and other brain disorders. Your care is connected and that means we’re answering your questions, providing consistent follow-up and supporting you, and helping make sure you have all the information to make the right choice for your care. Click here to learn more about advanced neurology care in Middle Tennessee.