A Journey of Healing: Lin's Battle with Brain Aneurysm
- Tianyi Guan
- Jan 4
- 4 min read
Lin Zhu, an immigrant from China, had dedicatedly thrown herself into early childhood education. After years of nurturing young children, Lin retired in Toronto with the perception that her most trying days were over. Little did she realize that her life would abruptly turn into an unexpected health journey – one that nearly destroyed her faith in the healthcare system.
On one ordinary morning when Lin was alone in her house, her life turned upside down. Her husband, who was in the United States at the time, called repeatedly but received no answer. Concern grew into alarm as hours passed without any response from Lin. Fearing the worst, he immediately booked a flight to return to Toronto and then called 911. By the time he arrived home, emergency dispatchers had already broken down his door where Lin was unconscious, lying in front of the sofa.
Lin was rushed to St. Joseph’s Hospital, where doctors soon discovered she had suffered a severe brain aneurysm. Her husband, unfamiliar with medical complexities, watched helplessly as his wife lay in a daze, unaware of the turmoil raging inside her head. Lin's condition was judged to be so critical that she was moved to St. Michael's Hospital where specialists concluded immediate brain surgery would be necessary to save her life. The doctors were racing against time because she had suffered the burst of an arterial aneurysm, and quite literally, she was hanging by a thread.
Over the following days, Lin underwent two surgeries: one to repair the aneurysm and another to relieve hydrocephalus, a neurological disorder caused by the buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles (cavities) deep within the brain, tightening the pressure on her fragile condition even further. Before the second surgery, which was a few days after the first one, her husband, feeling helpless, watched a catheter placed next to her drain “the red water and blood” into a bag on her bedside.
Lin’s memories of this period are hazy. “I was in and out of consciousness,” she recalls. Her condition improved gradually, and she was eventually transferred to a rehabilitation center. There, Lin’s journey to recovery began. “At the rehab center, they had a whole team of specialists working with me,” Lin shares. From physical therapy to speech and communication exercises, the center offered comprehensive support that helped Lin regain her strength and confidence.
“The therapists were patient and kind,” Lin says, reflecting on her time in rehab. "They made me feel like I wasn’t beyond hope, that I still had a chance to get better.” This sense of hope was crucial for Lin, who had no recollection of how dire her condition had been. “In my heart, it gave me a glimmer of hope, because, at the beginning, I didn’t even know what illness I had, and my husband couldn’t explain it clearly either.” It wasn't until much later that she learned the full extent of her illness. “There was a time when a doctor came to see me, and his assistant mentioned that I had brain surgery or something like that. It was then that I realized I had surgery for an aneurysm.”
Her mother shared a similar journey as her, but the outcome was much worse. “When my mother was around 69 years old, she experienced a stroke,” Lin recalls with sadness. “It was an ordinary night, her mother was doing dishes and cleaning after dinner, when all of a sudden, her mother said she experienced a severe dizziness, she collapsed while trying to get some rest on the sofa” Despite their best effort to rush her to the hospital which was only three blocks away. It was still too late. “Medical care back then wasn't as advanced as it is now. Had she had access to the kind of treatments available here in Canada, maybe her life could have been different.”
Lin is grateful for the Canadian healthcare system that gave her a second chance at life. “I had two major brain surgeries, one for the aneurysm and one for hydrocephalus” she reflects. “So I feel that my mother was really unfortunate because, at that time, medical technology wasn’t as advanced as it is now. Unlike us, who benefit from advancements every year, I feel that my mother missed such an opportunity. I’m grateful that I live in Canada where there is relatively advanced medical care.”
Lin, still recovering today, feels blessed for the opportunity to continue fighting. Her case is exemplary of how resilient the human spirit can be, and just how quality, timely health can alter life.
Message from our interviewer:
During the interview, I was deeply touched by her words of sorrow after she had lost her mom. She was so emotional, and her will to help her mother through the health system in Toronto was strong. I think healthcare has made significant advancements during the last decades, and I am so glad with the progress of medical systems that saved countless lives with serious diseases. I hope that we will have more future medicines to join the field with compassion and innovation to push the boundaries of medicine and discover solutions for the rising number of diseases. Suppose we extend our pool by increasing the number of committed physicians and other health professionals. In that case, we can ensure that fewer families experience regret, knowing that their loved ones received the best possible care.
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