WHEN Shailja Ambrose woke up for work one gloomy morning, she assumed it would be a day like any other – calls, meetings and looking after her two children.
But hours later, she was passed out in the toilets, close to death.
Through Siri on her iPhone, she managed to contact her colleague Jill for help.
Emergency services then whisked her off to the nearest hospital, where she was told she had a brain aneurysm (a bulge in a weak area of a blood vessel), which had burst.
This leads to an extremely serious condition called a subarachnoid haemorrhage, where bleeding can cause extensive brain damage and be fatal, the NHS says.
Even more shocking was the fact her mum Kusum Chaturvedi and sister Neerja had exactly the same condition, but also had no idea.
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Thankfully, all three were treated quickly enough that they survived.
But the trio want to use their story to educate others about the dangers of the "silent killer", which causes death in 25 to 40 per cent of those affected within 24 hours.
Neerja said: "Early detection can save your life, like it did mine."
Shailja, then 40, collapsed in the basement toilets at work in Minnesota, US, in 2017.
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The diagnosis came as a complete shock to the family, as until Shailja's fainting, she had been a picture of health.
Neerja, 45, said: "I was devastated and scared.
"My sister never had any symptoms prior to her haemorrhage.
"She doesn’t suffer from headaches or migraines, vision issues, and she'd never had seizures or anything.
"It was only when she suddenly collapsed at work when it ruptured that she realised something was very wrong."
Shailja, now 46, spent several days in intense care, drifting in and out of consciousness.
She received medication to treat her pain and aid her recovery, and eventually pulled through.
Neerja said: "I wasn’t aware of what brain aneurysms really were before this, or what the survival rate was.
"Being at the hospital on and off for weeks with her, I started learning how lucky we were that she was with us, and without too significant effects of the rupture.
"The more I learned, the more scared I was as to what had happened and grateful at the same time that she was going to be OK."
Early detection can save your life, like it did mine.
Doctors treating Shailja recommended her family members be screened for aneurysms too.
While not hereditary, having a first-degree relative with a history of brain aneurysms may make you more likely to develop one, according to the NHS.
After some encouragement from her husband, Neerja was screened in December that year.
"I was nervous, but like everything else, you think it’s not going to happen to you," she said.
"I went into the appointment really to just appease my husband, who had been on my case."
Neerja then discovered she had not one but three brain aneurysms.
One of them was so big doctors feared it would rupture if left unclipped so she underwent an immediate open-brain craniotomy – an operation to expose the brain by opening the head.
"We spoke to five of the top doctors that specialised in neurosurgery in New York and they all had the same recommendation," she said.
"Due to its location, the less invasive endovascular surgery was not an option and I was told I needed a craniotomy.
"I went from shock to denial to being terrified.
"I couldn’t believe I walked in thinking everything was fine and left being told I needed brain surgery."
'None of us had symptoms'
Aside from temporarily losing her ability to chew due to weakened jaw muscles, the procedure was a success – but it changed her life forever.
Neerja, who now has annual MRIs to monitor the growth of her other two aneursysms, said: "I will never forget the surgeon's words post-surgery.
"He said it was a really close call and had that aneurysm gone unattended, he wasn't sure how much time I had left."
The third shock came after Kusum, 70, was tested. She too had an aneurysm.
Thankfully, it was small. But it still left the family even more shaken.
"She was sad and scared," Neerja said.
"None of us ever had any symptoms, and we never knew of other family members that had them, so it was a huge shock for all of us."
Medics agreed that the potential complications from surgery outweighed the risk of her aneurysm rupturing so she too has yearly check-ups to monitor its growth.
The siblings and their mother want others to learn their story.
Neerja said: "If anyone in your family has an aneursym, screening should be a priority.
"This is really the case for anything that may run in your family.
"My husband still says that the doctor's words rung in his ear for days when post-surgery he told the family that it was a very close call.
"My aneurysm had grown so large in size, that had I not gotten screened and had it taken care of, I may not have been here today."
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There's no routine screening programme for brain aneurysms in the UK.
But it is recommended for people thought to have a significant risk of having a brain aneurysm that could rupture at some point in the future, such as if there is a family history of two affected relatives.
What is a brain aneurysm?
A BRAIN aneurysm is a bulge in a blood vessel caused by weakness in theblood vessel wall, usually where in branches.
As blood passes through the weakened blood vessel, the blood pressure causes a small area to grow outwards like a balloon.
Most brain aneurysms only cause noticeable symptoms if they burst, also known as rupturing.
This leads to an extremely serious condition known as a subarachnoid haemorrhage, where bleeding can cause extensive brain damage and symptoms.
The most common symptoms of a ruptured brain aneurysm include:
- A sudden agonising headache (described by some as a 'thunderclap', similar to being hit on the head resulting in blinding pain)
- A stiff neck
- Sickness and vomiting
- Sensitivity to light
- Blurred or double vision
- Sudden confusion
- Loss of consciousness
- Seizures
- Weakness on one side of the body or in any limbs
A brain aneurysm that has burst is a medical emergency and you must call 999 immediately.
Doctors aren't sure exactly what causes them, but they are more likely in people who are over the age of 40, who smoke, have high blood pressure or a family history of aneurysms.
Experts believe as many as one in 20 people are affected by brain aneurysms, but only one in 15,000 experience a rupture each year.
Between 25 and 40 per cent of those affected die within 24 hours, it is estimated.
Source: NHS and the London Clinic
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