Nearly 10 months after receiving emergency treatment at Holy Cross Health for a ruptured brain aneurysm, Australian resident Sarah Frost is reflecting on her recovery and the care that helped her return home to her family.<\/p>\n
October 19, 2026 \u2013 When\u00a0Sarah\u00a0Frost\u00a0traveled from Melbourne, Australia to South Florida to spend the holidays with her boyfriend, she expected nothing more than a relaxing visit. Instead, her trip took a frightening turn on New Year\u2019s Eve when, during an ordinary workout at a local gym, she suddenly became dizzy and her vision blurred before she fell from a pull-up machine.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, help was close at hand. The gym manager and an emergency department physician who happened to be working out nearby quickly came to her aid while emergency responders were called. The next thing she knew, the physically fit 43-year-old was in an ambulance being rushed to Holy Cross Health, which was thankfully only a 10-minute drive away. She remembers the ambulance ride and then her memory went blank until January 6 or 7 when she regained consciousness.<\/p>\n
Upon arriving at Holy Cross Health,\u00a0Frost\u00a0underwent emergency surgery to stop the bleeding caused by a very small brain aneurysm that ruptured. More than eight months later,\u00a0Frost\u00a0and one of her doctors, Catalina Ionita, MD, a neurointensivist at Holy Cross Health, are sharing her remarkable story of survival, a testament to the quick diagnosis and intervention she received at the gym, from paramedics and upon arrival at the hospital.<\/p>\n
Frost\u2019s situation was dire. According to the Brain Aneurysm Foundation, ruptured brain aneurysms annually account for almost 500,000 deaths worldwide and half of the victims are younger than 50. In the United States alone, approximately 30,000 people suffer from a brain aneurysm rupture each year and one ruptures every 18 minutes.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout one-third of patients with ruptured aneurysms do not make it to the hospital alive,\u201d said Dr. Ionita. \u201cI would like to emphasize in this particular case,\u00a0Sarah\u00a0had an excellent outcome and the stars somehow aligned for her from the moment she ruptured her aneurysm. The fact that she\u2019d been diagnosed very quickly, brought immediately to the hospital and emergent treatments were delivered to her led to an excellent final outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n
A ruptured aneurysm, or hemorrhage, is the least common of the three types of strokes, but the most consequential, according to Dr. Ionita. When\u00a0Frost\u00a0arrived at Holy Cross Health, her elevated intracranial pressure was immediately recognized and treated with the placement of an extra ventricular drain catheter. Taking this fast action undoubtedly contributed to her positive outcome.<\/p>\n
This type of stroke has the highest rate of acute complications, such as brain ischemic injury, because the rise of intracranial pressure that occurs when a brain aneurysm ruptures can cause cerebral circulatory arrest. Another complication is acute obstructive hydrocephalus, which can cause seizures.<\/p>\n
Throughout the entire ordeal,\u00a0Frost\u2019s dedicated boyfriend was by her side day and night, supporting her and advocating for her. She remained hospitalized for about three weeks as she recovered and regained her ability to walk.\u00a0Frost\u2019s two daughters quickly hopped on a flight from Down Under to be with her as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey basically told my boyfriend that they weren\u2019t really sure it was going to work, so I might possibly die,\u201d she said of the surgery. \u201cLuckily for me, I came out of that. I was on a ventilator for a week. I did lose some of the feeling in my left side in that week. That came back. They took me off the ventilator, then had to put me back on. That first week was touch and go whether I was going to make it through.\u201d<\/p>\n
Frost\u00a0said it remains a mystery when or how she developed this brain aneurysm. She was told it could be hereditary, although she hasn\u2019t been able to track down family history of aneurysms, or she could have been born with it. She prides herself in living a healthy and active lifestyle, exercising five times per week, walking three to four miles daily and cooking all her own meals. Until this incident, she didn\u2019t have any known health issues or take medication.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe team at Holy Cross in the ICU was amazing. If it weren\u2019t for the doctors who treated me in the ED, I probably wouldn\u2019t be here telling this story, so I\u2019m extremely grateful to them,\u201d she said. \u201cAll of the nurses, all of the doctors, everybody who came in contact with me was fantastic. They just went above and beyond time and time again while I was in hospital and after me leaving, so from the bottom of my heart, I\u2019d like to say thank you and I\u2019m extremely grateful to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nearly 10 months later,\u00a0Frost\u00a0is grateful to be alive and thriving.<\/p>\n
ABOUT HOLY CROSS HEALTH<\/p>\n
A\u202fmember of Trinity Health, Fort Lauderdale-based Holy Cross Hospital, dba Holy Cross Health, is a full-service, not-for-profit, Catholic, teaching hospital operating in the spirit of the Sisters of Mercy for more than 70 years. Holy Cross\u202fHealth earned High Performing ratings for five Types of Care in U.S. News and World Report\u2019s 2026-2027 Best Hospital rankings; received the American Heart Association\u2019s Commitment to Quality award for achieving high performance across three or more clinical areas in the Get With The Guidelines\u00ae program for two years running in 2025 and 2026; received \u201cLGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality High Performer\u201d designation from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation\u2019s 2026 Healthcare Equality Index; and received four out of five stars in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings for two consecutive years in 2025 and 2026. Additionally, Holy Cross Wound Healing and Hyperbarics program earned the 2025 Center of Distinction award by Healogics\u00ae, Physicians Outpatient Surgery Center at Holy Cross HealthPlex landed a spot on Newsweek\u2019s list of America\u2019s Best Ambulatory Surgery Centers 2025 and Holy Cross Health Foundation is designated as a High Performer from the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy.\u202fHoly Cross Health was also named among the 2024 America\u2019s Best-In-State Hospitals by Newsweek and selected as a Forbes America\u2019s Best Employers for Healthcare Professionals in 2025 and 2026. Through strategic collaborations and a commitment to being a patient-centered, transformative and healing presence, the 557-bed hospital offers progressive inpatient, outpatient and community outreach services and clinical research trials to serve as the community\u2019s trusted health partner for life. Holy Cross Health also includes the new Holy Cross Health Center & Emergency Care \u2014 Deerfield Beach, which opened in May 2026; Holy Cross HealthPlex outpatient facility; The Holy\u202fCross Health Family Health Center in Oakland Park;\u202furgent care\u202fcenters; and more than 40 Holy Cross Medical Group offices, a multi-specialty physician-employed group of 200+ physicians providing services throughout Broward County. Holy Cross Health Center & Emergency Care \u2013 Fort Lauderdale at Sunrise is currently under construction and is expected to open in August 2027. To learn more about Holy Cross Health, visit\u202fholy-cross.com<\/a>, and connect with them on Facebook<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>\u00a0and YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t