Stories of Hope

Written by: Kimberly Nokes Wilson William’s Daughter Written by: Hana Nobleza, MD, MSCI Medical Director, Neurocritical Care Service Baptist Memorial Hospital Associate Professor, Department of Neurology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center Section Editor Lauren Koffman, DO, MS Assistant Professor of Neurology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University Philadelphia, PA It Started With Pain On the morning of April 19, William woke up with some pain in his arm, along with other symptoms he had ...

Written by: Angie Murkins MSN, FNP-BC Department of Neurocritical Care, Stanford Health Care Written by: Honey Beddingfield MSN, AG-ACNP, CCRN, CNRN Department of Neurocritical Care Stanford Health Care Section Editor Lauren Koffman, DO, MS Assistant Professor of Neurology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University Philadelphia, PA In 2021, Kaitlyn was a 27-year-old professional guide who had traveled to more than sixty-two countries. She had graduated from Cal State Fullerton, where she received a degree in Entrepreneurship ...

Written by: Camilo Andres Diaz Cruz, MD Division of Neurosciences Critical Care, Departments of Neurology, Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD Written by: Tachira Tavarez, MD, MS Neurocritical Care Faculty Division of Neurosciences Critical Care, Departments of Neurology, Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD Section Editor Lauren Koffman, DO, MS Assistant Professor of Neurology, Lewis Katz School ...

During the 2nd annual World Coma Day , NCS and the Curing Coma ® Campaign invited patients and their providers to share their stories of recovery, in video format. Below you will hear the story of little Eli. Elijiah (Eli) and his parents Victor and Jannette, as they discuss an April 2021 car crash that left Eli with a severed spinal cord and under the treatment of Dr. Varina Boerwinkle. #StoriesofHope ​

During the 2nd annual World Coma Day , NCS and the Curing Coma ® Campaign invited patients and their providers to share their stories of recovery, in video format. In this interview between Dr. Varina Boerwinkle and the mother of a patient, we hear the story of a young man who suffered a stroke, and how his medical team quickly navigated the situation and worked closely with this family to make critical decisions. #StoriesofHope ​

During the 2nd annual World Coma Day , NCS and the Curing Coma ® Campaign invited patients and their providers to share their stories of recovery, in video format. Kertisha Brabson was a patient with anti-NMDA encephalitis who woke up from coma after 7 months and is now living a completely normal life as a dental assistant. This interview with Kertisha and her physician, Shraddha Mainali, talks briefly about her condition, her recovery process and her life as a coma survivor. #StoriesofHope #LeadingInsights ​​ ​

Written by: Rachael Muggleton With: Jeanette McCorry, MS, PA-C University of Rochester Medical Center Jenna Gonillo-Davis, MS, ACNPC-AG, CCRN Section Editor Lauren Koffman, DO, MS In May of 2020, I was a healthy, vibrant, smart, loving, pre-med student at Penn State, nicknamed the ‘mayor’ of my large friend network … until I fell acutely ill. I was admitted for what seemed like some sort of stress-induced altered mental status, and within the first week became catatonic. My mom watched in horror as her daughter’s light rapidly ...

Robert Alexander Bodroghy, MD, PGY-2 Neurology Resident, Temple University Lauren Koffman DO, MS Assistant Professor of Neurology, Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA The word summertime usually evokes thoughts of vacations, outdoor activities, and a more easy-going lifestyle, especially for college aged kids. June 5, 2011, put an unexpected end to the spoils of my summertime fun. I was nineteen years old and had just finished my first semester of undergraduate studies, with a major in athletic training. The last exam I took was ...

Scott DeBoer, MD, PHD Medstar Franklin Square Medical Center Department of Neurology, Georgetown School of Medicine Cari Tobin, PA-C Medstar Franklin Square Medical Center Lauren Koffman DO, MS In 1989 when Benjamin Peace was 29 years old, he had a dental infection that spread to two of his heart valves, known as endocarditis. Unfortunately, the infection in his heart caused a stroke and left him unable to use the left side of his body. He was told he had a 50/50 chance of being able to walk again. Treatment of the infection required ...

Bindi Parikh, MD, Neurology Resident, University of Minnesota Christine Yeager, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurology, University of Minnesota Section Editor Lauren Koffman, DO, MS One Thursday, amidst the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Naema had been working from home as a student advisor and was carrying out her usual activities. Though she did not feel quite herself, she drove herself to take care of errands and later went outside for a run. She recalls, “I was feeling off, my appetite was off. I didn’t know at the time that ...

Kate Meurer Clinical Research Associate in Neurocritical Care and Vascular Neurology Yale School of Medicine, Yale New Haven Hospital Ilayda Top Clinical Research Associate in Neurocritical Care and Vascular Neurology Yale School of Medicine, Yale New Haven Hospital Dan Doherty Clinical Research Associate in Neurocritical Care and Vascular Neurology Yale School of Medicine, Yale New Haven Hospital Firas Kaddouh Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurology, Yale School of Medicine Her Last Ride for A While November 18, 2018: Chrissy ...

Stefanie P. Cappucci, MD Neurology Resident Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Corey R. Fehnel, MD, MPH Assistant Professor of Neurology Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Harvard Medical School Section Editor: Michael Reznik, MD Assistant Professor of Neurology & Neurosurgery Brown University/Alpert Medical School       “A year ago, I was thrilled to survive…and looked forward to what the future would bring. I would have never imagined a year from that day I would be getting ready to go to ...

To most, Sunday, April 7, 2019, does not stir up strong emotions or even spark a distant memory. The most popular tweet of the day was “Keep your emotions off the internet” from NFL player JuJu Smith-Schuster; Old Town Road by Lil Nas X jumped 14 spots to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100; front page news introduced Candida auris to the public; and in just 24 hours, the Virginia Cavaliers would face the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the NCAA college basketball national championship game. But that day was a big one for Kertisha “Tisha” Brabson and her battle ...

There was a trail of blood around the house that led to the basement. He recalls pacing back and forth, trying to take care of a wound. He had blacked out at some point, but he remembers his dog vigorously licking him to get up and answer the door.   Christopher’s memory and speech still aren’t what they used to be, but they’ve been steadily getting better. He turned 21 years old in 2019, and the year has been one of recovery and rebirth. He continues to make constant progress, and he hopes that someday soon he may yet return to his electrician’s ...

Emily Grodinsky, MD (left), Edith Graham, MD Neurology Residents (center), David Walker, MD (center), Lauren Koffman, DO, MS Assistant Professor of Neurological Sciences (right) Aaron Smith is the kind of guy you want to be around. He is 20 years old, with maturity and wisdom beyond his years — forged from having lost his mother at a young age. As a result of his loss, he has grown closer to his father and other relatives, and has developed into someone who is “gentle, reserved, hardworking, loving, and hilarious” according to his niece, Tyler.  ...

By Jeb Rodgers, MD, Resident Physician, University of Missouri Department of Emergency Medicine (left);  Niraj Arora, MD, Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurology, University of Missouri Department of Neurology (center); and Section Editor Michael Reznik, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurology & Neurosurgery, Brown University, Alpert Medical School/Rhode Island Hospital (right). Steve Maddox is a man with many titles—devoted father, loving husband, dedicated driveway basketball player, motorcycle-rider, lover of jokes and wisecracks, shop foreman at ...

By Hannah Breit, MD, Neurology Resident, Rush University Medical Center, and Lauren Koffman, DO, MS, Assistant Professor of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center; Section Editor: Michael Reznik, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurology & Neurosurgery, Brown University, Alpert Medical School/Rhode Island Hospital April 20, 2018: It was a brisk and sunny day in Chicago. Danny and his wife Lexie woke up to the sounds of their three rambunctious children — a 7-year-old, a 2-year-old and an 8-month-old — and a house full of laughter and love. ...

Contributors: Lindsay Marchetti, RPA-C, Lead APP, NMICU 1 ; Kathryn Zelazny, RPA-C 1 ; Betty Rosabal, LMSW 1 ; Chris Zammit, MD, FACEP, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Medicine 1,2 1 University of Rochester Medical Center/Strong Memorial Hospital 2 University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry Section Editor: Michael Reznik, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurology & Neurosurgery, Alpert Medical School, Brown University/Rhode Island Hospital Ayanna was a young woman on a mission, on her ...