There were a few days this week when I just cried my eyes out. I felt completely lost, like I had no idea what I was doing with my life. I kept thinking about where I thought I would be by now and how different my life looks from the one I had planned. Sometimes I feel like I should have everything figured out already, and when I don't, it can be really overwhelming. Before my stroke, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to go to law school. That was the plan, and eve

Sometimes I think about the girl I was before May 30, 2021. She knew she had an AVM. She knew there were risks. But she was also living her life and never really believed a stroke would actually happen to her. I wish I could sit down with her now. Not to scare her or tell her what was coming, but to tell her some of the things it took having a stroke for me to finally understand. Here are 10 things I would tell her. 1. Stop trying so hard. People aren't paying that much atten

When people hear the words "stroke survivor," they often think about loss. The abilities lost, the plans that changed, and the challenges that come with recovery. And while there is truth in that, there is another side of the story that doesn't get talked about enough. My stroke changed my life forever. There are things I still struggle with and challenges I continue to face, but there are also unexpected gifts that have come from this journey. Looking back, I can honestly sa

Ireland had been on my bucket list for a long time, and after spending a week there, I can honestly say it exceeded every expectation. The trip was filled with breathtaking landscapes, castles, incredible food, meaningful celebrations, and memories that I will cherish forever. Most importantly, it gave me the chance to celebrate my fifth alive-aversary. A milestone that means more to me than words can express. Day 1: Landing in Ireland Our adventure began when we landed in Ir

Five years ago today, on May 30, 2021, my life changed forever. I was 22 years old and preparing to attend the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law that fall. I had my future mapped out so clearly in my head. I wanted to go into criminal law or human rights law, and I was already working with blood pattern analysts. I loved the work. I loved learning. I loved feeling like my future was right there in front of me. At the time, life felt busy in the best way possible. I had just

May is National Stroke Awareness Month, and for a long time, I thought I understood what that meant. I pictured someone older, someone later in life, someone who had time to expect something like that. Stroke, in my mind, had an age attached to it. It felt distant from me, almost like it belonged to a different phase of life entirely. At 22, I wasn’t thinking about strokes. I was thinking about my future, my plans, my goals, and the life I was building. I felt young. I felt h

When I first heard the words arteriovenous malformation, I didn’t even know what it meant. It sounded clinical. Distant. Almost unreal. But what I didn’t know then is that those words were about to change my entire life. AVMs are rare. They’re invisible. And unless you’ve lived through one or loved someone who has, it’s almost impossible to fully understand what they take from you and what they force you to become. Medically, AVMs affect less than 1% of the population, and th

February is Rare Disease Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness for conditions that individually affect small populations but collectively impact millions of families around the world. For me, rare disease is not theoretical. It is not just a ribbon color or a statistic. It is personal. It is living with an arteriovenous malformation, an AVM. It is surviving a rupture, a stroke, a craniotomy, and two rounds of Gamma Knife treatment. It is waking up in a hospital bed not

Looking back now, I can see that my body was trying to warn me long before my AVM exploded and changed my life forever, but at the time, none of it made sense, none of it felt connected, and none of it felt important enough to question, because everything could be explained away with stress or coincidence or simply being human. There were no dramatic warning signs, no collapse, no flashing lights or sirens, no moment where anyone said, something is wrong with your brain . I e

I’ve learned that dreams don’t become real just because we want them to. They become real when we name them, commit to them, and keep showing up, even when it’s uncomfortable, slow, or imperfect. As I look toward 2026, I’ve set five goals that feel big, meaningful, and deeply connected to who I am today. Speaking at six different venues. Traveling somewhere every month. Growing my social media presence. Creating a Stroke Warrior coloring book drawn with my right hand. And tu

On December 1st, I turned 27, which feels absolutely surreal. If you had asked 17-year-old me what 27 would look like, I would’ve said something like, “Traveling…lawyer-ing…definitely not falling asleep at 8:30 PM.” But here we are. Twenty-seven years old, and some mornings my body wakes up like it’s lived nine lifetimes. It’s funny, on paper, I’m in my twenties. But in my bones? My nerves? My thalamus? Eighty-five. Easily. Living in a body that’s been through a war few peopl

I did it! I went to Italy! This was my first international trip since my stroke, and to say it was special would be an understatement. It was exhausting, exhilarating, emotional, and absolutely amazing . From the moment my plane touched down in Milan, I felt this surge of excitement. Traveling again while navigating airports and managing luggage was a lot. Things that used to feel so simple before my stroke now felt like huge victories. But I was doing it. I was actually ther

When it comes to brain health, terms like AVM , aneurysm , and stroke often get mentioned together, and for good reason. They’re all...

Grief isn’t only about losing someone we love. Sometimes, it’s about losing ourselves , the version we used to know so well. The day my...

I recently took a trip to Rhode Island to visit one of the most important people in my life—my best friend, Galen. This trip wasn’t just...

After my stroke, I had to relearn everything—how to move, how to trust my body, how to feel safe inside of it. Walking wasn’t a given....

Four years ago, on May 30, 2021, my life changed in an instant. I went into cardiac arrest and suffered a stroke due to a ruptured AVM....

May 30, 2021 — the day my AVM ruptured, the day I had a stroke, and the day I became a survivor. It’s hard to put into words what it...

When you’re living in a body that no longer feels like your own, you become a seeker. You chase hope like it’s your full-time job. Every...

Recovering from an AVM is not just about surviving—it’s about finding ways to truly live again. Some days feel like a victory, and...