Anuja Is Speaking - Life After a Brain Aneurysm

There are certain events that punctuate a person’s life, and one can’t help but think of life as “before” and “after”. We might think of life “before having kids” and “after having kids”. Or “before the pandemic” versus “after the world shut down”. Anuja Martinez (née Mehta) has her life “before brain aneurysm” and “after brain aneurysm”. 

At the age of 29, Anuja finally had th answer to why she would get debilitating headaches, light flashes, and tunnel vision, but the answer was terrifying. Finally a doctor listened to her and ordered an MRI, which revealed a fusiform brain aneurysm. She and her family, along with the best doctors in the world, chose a less mainstream surgery to repair the aneurysm, the surgery was successful, and Anuja is living a full and wonderful life in her “after”.

But the story never ends there. To kick off our Season 5 “Physical Disability & Challenges: Seen & Unseen”, Anuja shares her journey of facing her mortality in her 20s, the consequences of not looking like she had brain surgery, and how she uses her experience to address systemic problems in the healthcare system now.

A fun bonus for us: Anuja is our cousin! She is passionate, compassionate and truly lovely. You will hear her high highs and low lows in our conversation. But overall, you’ll hear the drive to use her “after a brain aneurysm” life to impact change and be a force for good.