‘A TICKING TIME BOMB’
SINGLE mum Niki Lakerink is living with a “ticking time bomb” inside her head.
The 42-year-old has a small but potentially deadly brain aneurysm that threatens to take her away from her two children — the youngest only nine — at any moment.
The East Geelong resident began being treated for Multiple Sclerosis four years ago after having life-limiting symptoms thrust upon her overnight.
She woke with her face paralysed, unable to speak and experiencing tremors.
Two years later, she was referred to a neurosurgeon who diagnosed an aneurysm on her brain.
“I was diagnosed with MS originally and then, when they found it, they decided maybe it was the aneurysm causing (the symptoms) which makes it really hard to get disability support even though I’m not a functioning person more than half of the time,” Ms Lakerink said.
“I’ve just gone four weeks without a walking stick for the first time in four years. I once lost use of an arm for four months, I have cognitive issues and get regular seizures.
“I’ve had to explain all of it to my nine-year-old daughter because she could save my life.”
Ms Lakerink’s aneurysm is small and, as such, not expected to rupture easily but if it did the consequences could be fatal.
“There are people with smaller aneurisms than mine that have ruptured and they’ve died,” she said.
Ms Lakerink was scheduled to have surgery in April 2017 but had to delay the operation when her mum died. When she finally underwent the surgery in June this year, Ms Lakerink suffered a rare complication that forced the operation to be aborted.
Intensifying the situation is the lack of awareness and funding for the condition — something Ms Lakerink is hoping to improve during September’s Brain Aneurysm Awareness Month.
“A craniotomy, even though it’s lifesaving, is considered an elective surgery … so while Medicare covers the surgery you don’t have access to any of the funding or support bodies you would with other surgery that would be considered life-changing,” she said.
Due to the financial strain of costs associated with her first, failed surgery such as transport, accommodation, carers and time off work, Ms Lakerink will have to wait until the beginning of next year to go under the knife again.
“I go to sleep sometimes, especially since the surgery, crying, worried that my daughter will wake up and I won’t be there. It scares me,” she said.
“I just want people to talk about it and be aware of the signs.”