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Sudden Collapse at 26: A Life Rewritten
22 Jun
Summary
- A 26-year-old collapsed unexpectedly at work, experiencing no prior symptoms.
- Mez underwent emergency brain surgery in Dubai due to an arteriovenous malformation.
- After months of rehabilitation, she relearned to walk, defying initial medical predictions.
Mez Olivia, then 26, experienced a sudden and unexpected collapse at her workplace in Dubai. She had no preceding symptoms, describing her last memory as laughing with colleagues before losing consciousness on November 16, 2021. She later awoke in intensive care, having suffered a brain haemorrhage caused by an arteriovenous malformation (AVM).
Emergency treatment was critical, with doctors warning her family about the severity of her condition. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, her sister could not immediately provide consent for surgery, leaving her father and brother to make the agonizing life-or-death decision. Mez underwent an embolization procedure to seal the abnormal blood vessels.
Flown back to Britain in December 2021, Mez began a challenging rehabilitation process in Wales. She spent six months relearning to walk and regaining function on her right side, initially placed on a stroke ward. Despite predictions that she might never walk independently, her determination led to significant recovery.
Approximately 19 months post-collapse, by February 2023, Mez was walking unaided. She is still undergoing a five-year course of radiotherapy for the AVM, which has led to new complications including vision loss and brain swelling. Despite these ongoing challenges, Mez has regained confidence and has even returned to Dubai, a testament to her perseverance.
