'I was a healthy 21-year-old paramedic, then I got a 60-second headache'
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A fit and healthy young paramedic who just got home from brunch with a friend was suddenly hit by an intense headache that lasted 60 seconds - then found everything had changed. Tina Holt, who was 21, said: "I had a brief headache that lasted just a minute. I sat down and noticed I couldn't swipe my phone screen to unlock it.".
Her friend, who was also a paramedic, quickly noticed something was wrong. She asked Tina to smile, but Tina couldn't move her face. When she tried to stand, she collapsed after just two steps. Her body wouldn't respond, and she was unable to speak or move. "While lying on the floor, I vomited, fully conscious but unable to do anything," Tina said. "My friend immediately called my parents and dialled for an ambulance." Despite Tina's friend's assurance that she hadn't taken any drugs, the paramedics initially suspected an overdose. During the journey to the hospital, Tina's condition deteriorated further, and she lost consciousness. A CT scan revealed a severe brain bleed, and she was urgently airlifted to the ICU. Doctors informed her family that she might not survive and, if she did, there would likely be lasting impacts.
Tina remained unconscious for five days, spent ten days in the ICU, and was ultimately hospitalised for seven months. Her treatment involved several life-saving measures, including the installation of a cerebrospinal fluid drain to relieve pressure. However, the bleeding in her brainstem was too extensive for surgery. "I relied on a feeding tube for more than three months and underwent various procedures over the years, such as a thalamotomy, facial nerve and muscle transfers, and multiple surgeries on my left eye," she explained. "Recovery was not just about surviving - it was about relearning how to live.
