October 22,1998 my husband (Michael) and I had a beautiful baby boy. We named him Michael Drake, we call him Drake. It was the happiest day of our lives! Everything was perfect. Drake started sleeping all night when he was 3 weeks old. He was a very good baby. On December 10,1998, I had to have my gallbladder removed. Everything went fine. My follow up appointment was on December 23,1998.

December 22,1998, my husband and I were up talking and all of a sudden I got a terrible headache. I have migraines, so I figured that's what it was. My neck and down my spine started hurting really bad that's never happened with my migraines before. I later found out it was blood leaking into my spinal fluid. Then I got real sick to my stomach and started vomiting. I give myself shots for migraines and something told me not to. If I had of, It would have caused the aneurysm to burst. I decided to go to sleep to try to sleep it off. I never really fell asleep because I was hurting so bad.

Drake woke up at 6:00am and I told Michael to get up and feed him. I was still hurting. He told me to get ready, he was taking me to the emergency room at Pinelake Regional Hospital, in Mayfield, Kentucky. Michael's mom had spent the night so she watched Drake for us. I figured I would go get a shot and come back home. Boy was I in for a big surprise!

I got to the emergency room,they did a CT scan. They started to do the CT scan and I had to vomit, so they had to stop. The second time they finished. They let me lay down, gave me a pain shot, and hooked up a IV with pain medicines. I was getting scared because the doctors were not telling me anything. They were telling Michael. They kept asking me if this was the worst headache that I had ever had, and believe me it was!

The next thing I knew I was being transported in an ambulance to Lourdes Hospital, in Paducah, Kentucky. It's about a 45 minute drive from Mayfield. When I got to the ER there, all of my family started showing up,even my preacher. I had a lot of pain medicine, but that wasn't helping the fear I had. I just knew they had called my family because I was dying.

I heard the doctor telling Michael that I would be in the hospital for 7 to 10 days, depending on how well I did. I started crying, I couldn't figure out why I needed to be there that long. I also hate being in the hospital. Finally doctor Meriwether came in and told me I had a aneurysm leaking, and I had to have brain surgery. He said I was very lucky I made it to the hospital! I had a arteriogram done. They ran dye through the main artery of my leg into my brain to find the exact blood vessel that was leaking. I had to wait in ICU until they were ready for me, so I could be watched. They were doing surgery on a man with a aneurysm, I later found out he died on the operating table. I was told of all the risk, I could die, be paralyzed, have to learn how to talk and walk again. There were a lot of things that could go wrong!

5:00pm they came and got me to prepare me for surgery. All I could do was cry. They had crosses on all the walls I just kept looking at them and praying. It was comforting knowing I had so many people praying for me too. I was in the room getting ready for surgery, I was crying. Michael came back there and told me he loved me and everything would be OK, I tried to believe him I was just to scared. I just knew I was never going to see him again. There was a nurse named Annie, she was so sweet. I was trying to reassure myself I wasn't going to die, so I asked her if she would be there when I got out of surgery. Her shift was over at 7:00 so she was not going to be there. She told me there would be another nurse to take care of me. They told Michael they would take care of me as they were taking me to the operating room. The last thing I remember is hearing a man behind me saying your going to start getting very sleepy. I left it all up to God to take care of me, and he did not let me down! I came out of surgery at 11:00pm, it took six hours.

I cannot remember the first three days after that. It took me a long time to realize I was still alive. It was upsetting not remembering those days, it's like they are lost. The 24th was my birthday, the 25th was my son's first Christmas. I'm just glad I was here to celebrate them late. I had a seizure on the 24th, it was just a small one. It was the only one I've had. My mom and Michael said it's a good thing I don't remember those days. I was in a lot of pain, I had drainage tubes in my head, neck , and my back. They said I was very uncomfortable.

On the 27th , it's still kind of fuzzy, I woke up with a headache, and was thankful to be alive. I kept a cold, wet washcloth over my forehead. I remember people coming in to talk to me. There faces were fuzzy, but I knew their voices. It took a couple of more days before I really started remembering things.

I couldn't get out of bed without vomiting, so I just stayed in bed. I was in the hospital for 7 days. Five in ICU and two in a regular room. I did not get to see Drake when I was in ICU. The day I got a regular room they brought him to see me. I was afraid he wouldn't recognize me because they had to shave my hair off. When my mom brought him into the room, he smiled the biggest smile, he knew who I was!

The doctor's kept telling me I was a very lucky young lady. I definitely agree! I got to go home on December 30th,in time for New Year's. I was in bed at 10:00 pm. They say whatever you are doing at midnight is what you'll be doing all year. I wasn't in the hospital, I was bringing in the New Year loving my family, and thanking God to be alive!

I was still sick and couldn't get out of bed without vomiting. On January 3rd the left side of my body starting going numb. Michael called the doctor and he said go to Lourdes. They did a CT scan and my brain was swelling. It was caused by me smoking. I had a light stroke. I had to be put back in the hospital, in ICU. They gave me IV medicines and just kept an eye on me. I was in there for 6 days this time. January 9th I got out. I felt a lot better this time.

I am now 7 months out of my surgery. I have to take 98 pills a week, they have started taking me off of them so I'm down to about 70 a week. They are for seizures, headaches, and depression. The only problems that I have is depression, the doctor's say that is normal after a surgery like this. I stay really tired all the time, that seems to be getting better too. I still have migraines. I get really scared when I have one. The doctor's say I have no more aneurysms, I guess that's something that will just take time to get over. They are worse than they were before. I have pills I take that usually get rid of them.

I have read a lot of other peoples stories that have went through this. They were not so lucky. They are paralyzed, they have memory loss, and other problems. Some of them never even made it to the hospital.

I am so lucky and I know that night and today God's holding my hand and I was in the arms of an angel!

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