Event commemorates Nisky teen struck by brain aneurysm
One year after a brain aneurysm killed 13-year-old Delany Van Wert, her family is holding a Hike-a-Thon to help prevent another family from experiencing the same tragedy.
We just want to do something positive, and it as a little past her year anniversary, and we just wanted to do something that will possibly help someone in the future to realize what some signs might be, said Susan Van Wert, mother of Delany.
The Hike-a-Thon is set for Sunday, May 15, with registration starting at 2 p.m. at Rosendale Elementary School in Niskayuna and the hike beginning at 3 p.m. at the school and continuing to the nearby Lisha Kill Nature Preserve. Registration is $20 per family or individual, and includes a free event T-shirt if pre-registered by April 29.
Delaney’s death on May 7 of last year came as a surprise to her family, and a number of symptoms that led up to the tragedy weren’t recognized. Before the aneurysm ruptured, Delaney was taken to see the doctor, but due to her young age and previous ear problems, including a hole in her eardrum, her condition wasn’t thought to be life-threatening.
`She was dizzy a few days before she actually collapsed, and we had her see the doctors and they had her doing blood work, and we thought it might be her ears,` said Susan Van Wert. `It was a shock because nobody expected it to be something that is deadly, and she didn’t suffer any headaches that week. She went to school and she functioned pretty normally and she would call me if she got dizzy.`
Due to Delany’s ear problems, it was thought she was having an equilibrium problem. In the days before, she was also sensitive to bright light, such as in a mall and outside, but since she wasn’t in bright light often, she didn’t feel dizzy too often. Looking back, said Susan, she realized some of the warning signs, but she doesn’t blame anyone for the outcome.
`Nobody thought it was anything that was going to come to that,` said Susan. `It is more common than what people realize.`
According to The Brain Aneurysm Foundation, 1 in 50 people in the country have a brain aneurysm that hasn’t ruptured and around 26,000 people have a rupture, which equals one rupture every 18 minutes. Once a brain aneurysm ruptures, 40 percent of cases are fatal, and of the surviving individuals, there are 66 percent that face some permanent neurological deficit.
A brain aneurysm occurs when there is a weak bulging spot on the wall of a brain artery. The thinned part of the wall over time is pounded by blood flow within the artery and aneurysms form silently from wear and tear on the arteries. Blood flow causes the weakened wall to swell as the artery wall thins from the dilation.
Brain aneurysms are most prevalent in people ages 35 to 60 and women suffer more commonly than men, by a 3-to-2 margin. A child having a brain aneurysm is rare.
`It is very unusual and very sad when it happens to a young person,` said Ginny Tocci, director of development for The Brain Aneurysm Foundation. `It is very sad because brain aneurysms can strike people of all ages, and it is unusual to have it strike young people.`
Having a Hike-a-Thon to raise money was a unique event to benefit the group, said Tocci, who helped Susan Van Wert set up the event page on the organization’s website. Van Wert said the event type was chosen because her family always enjoyed hiking. Van Wert’s other children include 21-year-old Terry, 18-year-old Tyler and 16-year-old Jacey.
`We like to hike as a family, even from the time Delany was a little toddler. Hiking was a big part of all my kids’ upbringing, and we used to come up to Lisha Kill too,` said Van Wert.
Tocci said there is a lack of awareness on brain aneurysms and the foundation bills itself as the world’s only nonprofit organization solely dedicated to providing awareness, education and support for research to reduce the instances of ruptures.
`Sometimes when you go see the doctor, they still might not recognize it as an aneurysm until it is too late,` said Tocci. `If it is detected in time, there is a couple of different procedures they can use to save people’s lives, but unfortunately most of the time it is not detected in a timely basis.`
To register for the Hike-a-Thon, visit www.bafound.org and under the `Get Involved` drop-down menu click on `upcoming events.` Then scroll down to the `Hike-a-Thon at Lisha Kill Preserve` and click on the event to see its page, which includes a button to register online. If someone can’t attend the event, a general donation can also be made from the online register page.“
