Brain Aneurysm: Laurie Jean's Story

Laurie Jean Cannady, who found new hope and new options for brain tumor treatment at Johns Hopkins.

Everything was going right for Laurie Jean Cannady in June 2015. An English professor at Lock Haven University in central Pennsylvania, Laurie Jean was planning a party to celebrate the publication of her new memoir, Crave: Sojourn of a Hungry Soul. Then, something odd happened: She noticed an unusual lump on her left cheek, below the cheekbone. Although it wasn’t painful, her primary care physician referred her to a local specialist for more tests.

Brain Aneurysm Diagnosed

A CT scan at an outpatient clinic confirmed that the lump wasn’t serious. However, the scan revealed another issue that was very concerning: Laurie Jean had an unruptured brain aneurysm, a weak and ballooning area in the wall of a brain artery that required immediate care. If left untreated, a life-threatening rupture of the brain aneurysm may occur.

Laurie Jean says she had trouble getting needed follow-up appointments and tests scheduled, which lulled her into a false sense of security about the urgency of her diagnosis.

“I figured if it were serious, they’d be moving more quickly,” she says.

Finally, a second scan confirmed the aneurysm diagnosis, and her primary care physician referred Laurie Jean to a neurosurgeon at a hospital less than two hours from her home. But Laurie Jean couldn’t get an appointment for two months. When she finally did have her appointment, the team recommended a craniotomy, a type of open brain surgery. 

“All of the emotion and fear I’d had from the beginning rushed in at one time,” Laurie Jean recalls. “I was so scared about what I had been told; I considered not doing anything.”

Support Group Leads to Johns Hopkins

Laurie Jean received her brain aneurysm diagnosis while planning for her book party. 

While Laurie Jean waited to learn more about the treatment process from her physician, she turned to the internet. She joined a brain aneurysm support group on social media, where she learned she had other options.

“I unloaded on the group about how scared I was and asked people where they had gone for treatment,” says Laurie Jean. “One woman said she had been through the same experience and told me I needed to meet her doctor.”

Laurie Jean took the woman’s advice and called to schedule an appointment a neurosurgeon at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, over three hours away.

“I’ll never forget the woman who answered the phone,” says Laurie Jean. “Her name was Anna, and she was an angel. I just started crying, telling her how scared I was.”

Just two days later, Laurie Jean and her husband met with the neurosurgery team, an appointment, she says, that went a long way in easing her fears.

“When I met with the doctors I could feel the kindness and warmth,” she says. “[They] spent a lot of time just talking with us, showing us the scans of the aneurysm and explaining what troubled [them].”

Experience with Aneurysms Comes into Play

The neurosurgeons knew from experience that the aneurysm’s size, location and shape were a dangerous combination. The Johns Hopkins team not only sees more aneurysms than any other facility in the area, but it’s one of the top facilities in the country. Many aneurysms they see that have ruptured are located in the same area Laurie Jean’s was. Although hers was considered small, there was still a risk for rupture, and its shape and bumpy surface increased the risk even more.

Innovative Technique to Treat Aneurysm

After further testing, Laurie Jean, her husband and three kids sat down with the surgeon, who explained that the best treatment option was not open surgery through her skull. Instead, the group would use a minimally invasive procedure to reach the aneurysm with an innovative combination of an embolization device and endovascular coiling. Using a minimally invasive approach rather than open surgery can result in shorter recovery time and faster healing.

In the procedure, microcoils were placed inside the aneurysm to help prevent blood flow to it, providing immediate protection from the aneurysm rupturing. The embolization device, which is a stent or tube, was placed into the blood vessel the aneurysm arose from, and over time, cells grew on the stent, sealing off the opening to the aneurysm for good.