Annie Barnett was a "normal, 21-year-old healthy girl" with a part-time job and studying at uni — until a brain aneurysm burst.
Warning: This story contains images that some people may find distressing.
On October 10, 2021, she was at work when the customers started to look blurry so she went home early and put herself to bed.
"I woke up in the early hours of the morning with no feeling in my legs, the most severe headache I've ever had, it was pretty unbearable," she said.
She called out to parents Greg and Carol who came rushing to help.
They found her hot and sweaty, lying on the tiles trying to pull herself up.
Feeling something was not right, they called an ambulance and she was taken to the nearest hospital with a CT scan triggering an emergency trip to Brisbane.
Annie said she was shocked at the results.
"She [the doctor] came up to me and said, 'You have a bleed on your brain' ... I didn't know the severity of it at the time," Annie said.
She underwent an emergency nine-hour craniotomy where a clip was put over the aneurysm.
Her father, Greg, said seeing his daughter in an induced coma was confronting, including the bandage that covered a tennis ball-sized hole for two months.
"They'd left her skull off and just put a bandage over ... she was quite bruised, black eyes and she had a bandage with 'no bone' written on her head," he said.
Annie's recovery appeared to be on track until two weeks later when another aneurysm ruptured — an event that's considered extremely rare.
Her parents rushed to the hospital in the middle of the night.
"They [the doctors] said, 'We've never come across this before but she's had another ruptured aneurysm,'" Greg said.
Annie remained in the intensive care unit for three weeks on a ventilator.
Her parents spent every day beside her bed, on a roller coaster of emotions and bracing for the possibility of brain damage or permanent disability.
She went on to spend three months in hospital where five aneurysms — including two that ruptured — were discovered.
She had 13 brain operations, including cerebral angiograms, a stroke, multiple visits to intensive care, seizures and weeks of occupational therapy to walk and talk.
Another curveball
Annie returned home just before Christmas in 2021 and during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the family was thrown another curve ball.
Doctors suggested Annie's immediate family be tested for aneurysms and those tests shocked the family and doctors.
While her brothers had none, her dad had six, mum Carol had four and paternal grandmother Cheryl had two.
"We thought it might be down one line, but not both sides of the family," Greg said.
Three of Greg's aneurysms were on the main artery and he was advised to have "urgent" surgery.
However, the aneurysms had not yet ruptured so he was not able to have the operation in the public system due to pandemic restrictions at the time.
It cost $20,000 to have the operation privately but they have no regrets.
"He [the doctor] said after the operation that the three of them were just so close to rupturing, they don't know how I'm even still here and still alive," Greg said.
Carol has since had a stent and doctors continue to monitor Cheryl's aneurysm.
The south-east Queensland couple are grateful to the hospital staff who have been part of their journey and "for saving our girl".
"The dozens of different doctors we came across and nurses, they're just like family to us," Greg said.
'Clash of two trains'
The prevalence of aneurysms throughout the Barnett family is believed to be genetic, though not due to a particular genetic condition.
"I've been doing a lot of genetic testing ... but we haven't really had clear answers," Greg said.
"From my side of things it's like a clash of two trains and poor old Annie's got parents with aneurysms on both sides."
Senior neurosurgeon Craig Winter at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital treated Annie and Greg.
"The incidence [of aneurysms] in the community is about two or three per 100 and ... probably 5 per cent of those have a strong family history," Dr Winter said.
"But to have two members with aneurysms giving birth to someone with aneurysms, that's even rarer — a tiny percentage."
Dr Winter said given the family history, Annie was "destined to have them" but that was just one of the rarities of the case.
He said aneurysms were not usually found in those aged under 30 — let alone two that rupture.
"If they rupture, approximately 30 or 40 per cent of people die, 30 per cent are left with a stroke and it's only about 30 per cent that get back to normal.
"I don't think I've ever seen a case where someone's coming in with one rupture and then while they're an inpatient, rupture from one of the other aneurysms.
"She's very, very, very lucky to recover from both of those with a good result."
'Live, love and be happy'
On the first anniversary of their lives changing forever, Annie has a new appreciation and motivation for life.
"I just want everyone to live life to the fullest ... just live, love and be happy," she said.
"I was a normal, 21-year-old healthy girl and the next minute I needed life-saving brain surgery so you never know what to expect."
Now aged 22, she has made changes to her physical health, sees loved ones more and is excited to be graduating from university soon.
She also dreams of fulfilling a life-long goal to travel to Europe pending medical approval.
"I'm so grateful for it [life] and feel like I'm a bit of a go-getter now, I don't want to hold back — I want to do things that I want to do."
