This is when a father of three suddenly suffers a brain hemorrhage, which kills 50 percent of patients.
Thomas Gallagher of Michigan was sitting in the kitchen drinking water after a day out when he suddenly felt a “savage” pain shooting through his head and neck.
After collapsing on his child’s bed and screaming in pain, he was rushed to hospital and then airlifted to a nearby ward, where he was diagnosed with a subarachnoid hemorrhage, a bleed between the brain and the meninges.
His wife Grace said she feared she would never see her husband again if he was airlifted to hospital.
Thomas Gallagher of Michigan was on a family day out with his four-year-old son Auggie a few hours before the sudden brain hemorrhage
She wrote on Instagram: ‘When they closed the helicopter doors I thought this would be the last time I would see him.
‘Actually, all I read was that Tom was about to die.’
Subarachnoid hemorrhages are so deadly because they can cause other blood vessels to narrow, reducing blood flow to the organ and potentially causing a stroke.
They can also put pressure on the brain, increasing the risk of blood vessels in the organ bursting.
The bleeding is often caused by a weakened blood vessel bursting and allowing blood to leak into the space between the brain and the protective membrane covering the brain.
The main symptom of this is a sudden and severe headache, which can be confused with other conditions and may take hours to diagnose.
Treatment usually involves surgery, in which a neurosurgeon clamps the ruptured blood vessel to stop the bleeding.
Thomas Gallagher is pictured above after suffering a brain haemorrhage, which left him with symptoms of a sudden and severe headache
Mr Gallagher is pictured above in hospital with his wife Grace as he recovers from his medical episode
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The American Heart Association’s journal has a study published warning that the mortality rate for this condition is between 22 and 50 percent.
In many cases, survivors suffer from long-term complications, such as paralysis and memory and concentration problems.
About 28,000 people suffer a stroke each year, usually between the ages of 40 and 60. A quarter of patients are younger than 45.
The most common cause of the condition in younger age groups is car accidents, according to the Cleveland Clinic. High blood pressure, smoking and a family history of the condition can also increase a person’s risk of developing it.
Previously, Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke — who plays Daenerys Targaryen — also suffered from this brain hemorrhage, which began shortly after she wrapped filming for the first season.
She underwent emergency surgery that lasted three hours and was left with excruciating pain, vision problems and aphasia, where brain damage affects a person’s ability to speak and write. At one point, she could no longer remember her own name.
Mrs Gallagher said the family had been on a fishing trip with their eldest son Auggie, four, in the hours before the sudden stroke.
Home security cameras captured the moment of the stroke and the family’s rapid response.
Mr Gallagher spent ten days in intensive care for treatment but has since been discharged and sent home to recover.
According to his wife, he now has “many limitations,” including in the areas of strength, endurance and coordination.
The children, including Murphy, two, and Lottie, one, are said to be very patient with their father and help him with his recovery.
He is not expected to be able to run the small family business again, they say they are now closing the business for good.
The family is taking their fight online and are now appealing for donations to help cover medical costs via GoFundMe.
So far they have raised $4,200 of their $5,500 goal.
Mr Gallagher had previously suffered from regular migraines, but never from a serious brain haemorrhage.