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“Jada Kiss” may have sounded like the life-of-the-party on 103.5 FM the Beat’s nighttime radio show, but the real-life Jada Williams was scared. A single mother with two kids, she had crippling headaches every day for three months and was losing the ability to do the job she had done for the past four years.
“My brain was hurting, I was nauseous, and I could barely see out of one eye,” said Williams, the producer of DJ Bulletproof’s show/podcast. “I couldn’t keep up with the pace of live radio and was barely making it through my shifts.”
Given her history of migraine headaches, it would have been reasonable to assume Williams’ issues stemmed from that, but the 42-year-old, North Miami resident knew this was a different kind of pain. At her wit’s end, she went to the ER at Memorial Hospital Pembroke where a CT scan revealed a giant brain aneurysm, the type that when it ruptures kills nearly 50% of its victims. Among the half that manage to survive the brain bleed, nearly 70% are left with cognitive deficits that affect memory, attention, reasoning, problem-solving, and decision-making.
“Jada had one of the largest aneurysms I’ve ever seen,” said Dr. Brijesh P. Mehta, Chief of Adult & Pediatric Neurointerventional Surgery and Medical Director of the Comprehensive Stroke Program at Memorial Healthcare System. “We performed a minimally-invasive endovascular procedure in the cath lab to cut off blood supply to the aneurysm using a flow diverting device and coils.”
Memorial Neuroscience Institute neurointerventionalists care for more than 200 brain aneurysm patients each year, making it one of the largest treatment centers in South Florida. One in every 50 people has the potentially deadly condition, with high blood pressure, smoking, and family history being the most significant contributors to brain aneurysm formation. Worsening headaches, nausea, vomiting, and neck stiffness are the most common symptoms.
While both her grandfather and his sister died from brain aneurysms, Williams is now about four months post procedure and on the road to a full recovery. She is once again driving, taking care of her children, ages 11 and 14, and contributing to the radio show. But she’s also being cautious to avoid setbacks, with the memories of 10 days bed rest and six weeks without leaving her home too fresh to forget.
What was once, according to Dr. Mehta, “a ticking time bomb,” is now a new lease on life for Jada Williams. A brain aneurysm that could have easily ruptured never did and Williams believes that means she was meant to serve a bigger purpose. “I hope I can be an example to others,” she said. “Your lifestyle matters, and you don’t have to be a superwoman. Listen to your body, advocate for yourself, and if you think something isn’t right, get it checked before another day goes by.”
Memorial Neuroscience Institute (www.mhs.net/services/neuroscience) offers advanced diagnoses, comprehensive treatment, compassionate care, and rehabilitation for complex neurological conditions. Few centers can match the depth of its neurological expertise or the wide range of available services.
Part of the Memorial Healthcare System and recognized for its quality and safety, the Comprehensive Stroke Program treats conditions of the brain that include acute strokes, vascular malformations, carotid stenosis, and arteriovenous fistulas of the spine.
To learn more about the complete continuum of neurological care Memorial provides, visit www.mhs.net/services/neuroscience.
