A Headache Like “Never Something I’ve Felt Before”

In October 2023, Kevin Amayo and his wife, Ca’Rinthya, were watching TV in bed to wind down the evening, like any other day, but when Kevin went to stand up, he blacked out.

When he regained consciousness, he did not immediately seek help. Instead, he sought some fresh air and, despite not feeling well, went back to bed, attributing his severe headache to a potential concussion received when he fainted.

“I did hit my head, and this is probably what that feels like,” Kevin thought. Yet the pounding pain in his head did not go away or get better as the night progressed.

In the early hours of the morning, the couple made the decision to go to a nearby hospital, where doctors performed scans that showed potential hemorrhaging in the brain. His care team soon made the call to transfer Kevin to a hospital specializing in neurology and set to work finding one with a space available. Within 20 minutes, an ambulance was taking them to Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center, where Kevin would spend the next two and a half weeks in the intensive care unit (ICU).

The care team there soon performed a craniotomy to address the aneurysm and bleeding. While working to save his life, they made sure to take time to communicate with the family who waited anxiously.

“His surgeon, Dr. Benjamin Zussman, came in and sat with me and his parents,” Ca’Rinthya recalled. “He explained to us what he would have to do and gave us updates throughout the surgery—and that was a long surgery.”

“Kevin came to us with a ruptured, bleeding brain aneurysm,” Dr. Zussman, a neurosurgeon, said. “We placed metallic clips across the aneurysm to stop it from bleeding and give him the best chance to recover.”

Following the surgery, Kevin required physical therapy and occupational therapy, where he had to retrain his body to walk.

“Every step of the way, the Wellstar team was there for us,” Ca’Rinthya said, noting the support they also felt from their family, colleagues and church family.

“A Saving Grace”

Soon, the young married couple faced mounting medical bills, magnified by the fact that they were in the middle of transitioning from one insurance to another after Ca’Rinthya became a full-time student in August. This temporary gap in their coverage added stress to Kevin’s recovery process.

Wellstar again provided lifechanging care to the couple, this time in the form of financial assistance.

“We had a very, very heavy hospital bill that felt like it would set us back, I think, a generation or so,” Ca’Rinthya said. “We’re just so grateful that Wellstar saw Kevin as qualifying and fully covered our hospital bill. Debt can be detrimental to your mental health and recovery. Wellstar was there when we were in the worst possible situation.”

A Message to Others

When Kevin and Ca’Rinthya recently attended a work event and saw a Wellstar video with hallways familiar to the couple, the conversation that followed inspired them to share their story out of gratitude and a desire to help others. Their story, they hope, will bring awareness to aneurysms and encourage someone who should get a scan to go get one.

“It’s scary going to the hospital,” Kevin said. “But part of recovery is the will to live, the will to fight. Coming out of surgery, I felt that from the team, I felt that from my family, and we all fought, and that’s why I’m here today.”

Brain aneurysms rupture in about 30,000 people in the U.S. every year, with only around half surviving, according to the Brain Aneurysm Foundation. Additionally, roughly 1 in 50 people in the U.S. have an unruptured aneurysm.

“I left Wellstar with a couple of friends,” Kevin said. “The team will take care of you. They will hear you. They will show up for you. And, it’s a good place to be treated.”