Kristina Brinkman

As a day-care provider, Kristina Brinkman hears "I'll do it myself!" many times every day. That same stubborn, feisty attitude in Kristina, 32, helped her recover from a severe challenge to her health and well-being.

Kristina was in the final trimester of pregnancy with her third child when she awoke one morning, feeling numb on her left side. Her face felt slightly wind-burned. Her local physician suspected multiple sclerosis and did an MRI. The test detected a cavernous angioma in Kristina's brain, a group of abnormal, tiny blood vessels and larger, stretched out, thin-walled blood vessels filled with blood. The physician referred Kristina to Mayo Clinic. Physicians there examined her and sent her home, taking a wait and see approach.

"The first treatment option is to observe a cavernous malformation with annual MRI scans to determine if it is changing," says Fred Meyer, M.D., a neurosurgeon at Mayo Clinic. "Some cavernous malformations remain inactive for many years. This was the first time Kristina had noticed any symptoms and she was in the advanced stage of pregnancy. Brain surgery is a significant operation, and we didn't want to take that course of action unless absolutely necessary."

Several days later, Kristina's symptoms worsened, affecting her balance and vision. She was unable to walk by herself. The cavernous malformation had bled again. Kristina's neurologist and neurosurgeon at Mayo Clinic talked to her about the concerns and options.

"We could continue to wait and see, but the malformation might bleed again, causing more dysfunction," says neurologist Kelly Flemming, M.D. "In any discussion about surgery, we had to consider the baby and her reaction to general anesthesia. The malformation was located in Kristina's brainstem, so we also had to consider if the malformation could be removed without negatively affecting her swallowing and walking functions."

After much discussion, the medical team recommended surgery to remove the cavernous malformation, which Dr. Meyer performed. Kristina remained hospitalized for six weeks after the five-hour procedure.

"I couldn't do anything after the surgery, including hold up my head, stand, walk and write," she says. "In my mind, I knew how to do those things, but my body couldn't do them. I had physical therapy to relearn."

To say Kristina was frustrated by not being able to do the simplest things for herself would be an understatement. But she harnessed her frustration into determination.

"I've always been very independent," she says. "I help my day-care kids learn to write their names and tie their shoes. A therapist at the hospital asked me to write my name, and I took the pen and wrote what looked like a little child's writing. She asked me if I could tie my shoes, and I said, 'Of course.' But I couldn't do it. I felt like I went from taking care of children to being childlike myself. I knew I couldn't get back to how I was before this happened to me unless I jumped into therapy and rehabilitation with both feet, so to speak. I really pushed myself and wouldn't let anyone hold me back.

"I remember asking one of my doctors if she thought I would be walking in six months after surgery," says Kristina. "I could tell from the look on her face that she didn't think that was in the range of possibility. I was walking within a month of surgery."

After six weeks in the hospital, Kristina went home to await her baby's birth. The healthy baby, Olivia, was delivered by scheduled cesarean section three weeks later.

Kristina's medical team recommended she wait six to eight weeks to recover from the cesarean section before resuming rehabilitation. But Kristina was determined to continue her progress.

"I went to a sporting goods store and bought equipment similar to that used in rehab so I could work on it on my own," she says.

After their children (Tyler, now 12; Emily, now 9; and Olivia, now 4) were in bed for the night, Kristina and her husband, Mike, worked on exercises. Mike made her a rocker board, and she balanced on it while he threw her a ball. Instead of playing catch, many couples would have collapsed in bed after taking care of three small children.

"I've always been active. When I was younger, I was a diver and a gymnast," says Kristina. "It has been difficult to accept my current lack of coordination and gracefulness, but I keep improving slowly but surely. I exercise on a treadmill and do Pilates and yoga tapes. I know I'm fortunate to be alive."

Kristina's experience has given her a new outlook on life, children and learning.

"I was so driven and focused before this happened," she says. "I still am but am focused on different things. I'm more patient, understanding, compassionate and appreciative now. I've had to learn to let people do things for me. I know what my day-care kids are going through now when they learn to crawl and walk! I learned those things all over again not so long ago."