How often do you get to meet a hero, someone whose personal trajectory will collide with yours in the most spectacular way, determining your future… ensuring you even have one? For me, the answer is twice.
On March 20, 2006, while home alone, my aneurysm ruptured. Through a series of miracles I was able to quickly get to a nearby hospital where I spent the next two weeks “waiting” in the ICU. “Waiting,” the doctors said, was the best option because at that moment they didn’t believe they could surgically repair my aneurysm. My family felt helpless, and “waiting” was difficult when our natural instinct was to “fix” the problem. What we didn’t know at the time was that “waiting” was the right choice and would lead us to Dr. David Langer, who successfully clipped my aneurysm on April 6th, 2006.
For the past 14 years, my family and I have been celebrating my renewed opportunity at life and, unbeknownst to him, Dr. Langer. Choose any month and there is a birthday, advocacy day, surgery day or holiday that leads us to reflecting on our gratitude. When presented with the opportunity to interview Dr. Langer, I jumped at the chance. Not only was I excited to hear what he believes is the future of aneurysm and AVM surgery and care, but I was excited to reconnect and introduce him to two beautiful humans, my son and daughter. The kids wanted to put a face to the name they had been celebrating their entire life, and before the interview they were finally able to express their gratitude. They said, “Thank you Dr. Langer for saving our mom! Without you we wouldn’t be here.”
My family and I are no longer “waiting,” and now, thanks to TAAF Talk Magazine, neither are you. In honor of Brain Aneurysm Awareness Month, please enjoy our first-ever video interview with the incomparable, Dr. David Langer.
Click the photo to learn more about Dr. Langer and the heroes of Netflix's Lenox Hill
Click the photo to learn more about author and TAAF Contributor, Molly Curtis.
