From time to time on Neurosurgery Blog, you will see us cross-posting or linking to items from other places when we believe they hit the mark on an issue. Since we are smack-dab in the middle of our focus on topics related to vascular neurosurgery, we wanted to bring attention to an article that recently appeared in The New Yorker on March 21, 2019. The piece features Game of Thrones (GOT) star, Emilia Clarke, who shares her brave story of being a brain aneurysm patient.
Emilia’s story helps to shed light on the need for research to find a cure for brain aneurysms. Thankfully, many people are working together to turn the tide. Since neurosurgeons play a crucial role in the treatment of brain aneurysms, organized neurosurgery, along with groups like the Brain Aneurysm Foundation (BAF), have come together to educate legislators on brain aneurysm. In this regard, we are asking members of Congress to increase funding for brain aneurysm research by passing Ellie’s Law (H.R. 594 and S. 864). This legislation would allocate $25 million over five years to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) to support brain aneurysm research.
While we don’t yet know who will ultimately sit on the Iron Throne— and we are on the edge of our seats in suspense to find out in tonight’s GOT finale — it is nonetheless truly impressive to see how Emilia Clarke was able to battle back from not one, but two brain aneurysms, while she also portrayed Daenerys Targaryen. In our view, this Dothraki-speaking actress has earned her spot on the Iron Throne!
Click here, to read Emilia’s full article in The New Yorker.
Editor’s Note: We encourage everyone to join the conversation online by using the hashtag #VascularNeurosurgery.
