CNBC’s Epperson returns to Pittsburgh to present grant
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Imagine casually going about your day and suddenly being jolted by an angry, harrowing headache. In just a split second your life is on the line, and you have only hours to act.
This happened to Sharon Epperson, a Pittsburgh native and CNBC’s senior personal finance correspondent. In September 2016, an aneurysm ruptured in her brain, causing a hemorrhagic stroke. It nearly took her life.
On Thursday night, she will be back in her hometown to present The Sharon Epperson Chair of Research Grant at the Brain Aneurysm Foundation Research Grant Symposium, Downtown. The grant provides $15,000 for one year of research on early detection and prevention of brain aneurysms.
During this health crisis, she learned that both her grandfather and an aunt died of brain hemorrhages, which raised her risk of facing this, too. She is trying to raise awareness about the condition and encourage others to learn about their family histories.
Ms. Epperson, 50, has devoted her professional career to helping people become financially fluent with their personal finances and be prepared for the unexpected. On Sept. 21, 2016, she, too, faced the unexpected.
Now living in Westchester County, N.Y., she was at a morning exercise class when she was struck with severe headache.
“I was actually stretching — doing a downward dog — [when] I immediately felt pain in my head, “says Ms. Epperson “My neck [became] very stiff, and I decided I needed to leave the class right away.”
She called her husband, Christopher, who took her home. But the pain kept getting worse.
Her primary doctor wasn’t available, and the doctor on call, who had been an emergency room doctor, urged her to go to a hospital ER. Finally at her third hospital, she received a CT scan, which showed bleeding on the brain.
“I called my sister and told her ‘Don’t tell mom,’” she said.
A brain aneurysm occurs when an artery wall weakens, creating a bulge. If it ruptures, it can cause bleeding into the brain (a stroke). The first symptom is a sudden, severe headache.
That day after the diagnosis, Ms. Epperson underwent immediate surgery. The surgeons clamped the aneurysm to stop the bleeding.
She spent two weeks in the ICU and then two weeks in a rehabilitation hospital. When she returned home, she did not have the energy to make it upstairs.
“I stayed in the guest room for about two months and went to physical therapy for about three months.”
Recovery took more than a year. She had to learn to walk again and went through several sessions of speech and physical therapy.
“That fall was potentially going to be the busiest and biggest fall of my career, and it stopped for 13 months.” she said.
Although she is back on CNBC, as well as the syndicated show “On the Money” and “Nightly Business Report” on public television, she is not full time.
“[I have experienced] the residual effects of fatigue and sensitivity to some things — light and sound,” she said. “The one thing that has really changed for me was being a serious multitasker.”
However, she has taken on a new role.
“When something happens, some people don’t necessarily want everyone to know,” Ms. Epperson said. “[Since I realized that] what I cover is personal, I could not come back on the air and not explain what happened. Sharing my journey made people understand more where I was coming from in my reporting and appreciate that I was able to come back.”
Her period of medical disability directly applies to her personal finance expertise. To prepare for the unexpected, she said all families should set up an emergency fund, designate a health care proxy and power of attorney to make financial decisions (if you are disabled), and set up automated financial payments. She also stresses the importance of knowing your medical history and your family’s medical history.
“It is so important to share this information because it can affect your loved ones tremendously,” Ms. Epperson said. “[You] can raise awareness by knowing about [your] family’s health.”
One in 50 people have a brain aneurysm, and most of the time it is benign. However, of the 30,000 people a year who suffer a ruptured brain aneurysm, 40 percent of the cases are fatal. African-Americans are twice as likely to experience a rupture, and women suffer brain aneurysms more often than men — at a ratio of 3-to2. Research about more affected groups is ongoing.
“I think about my two children — 13 and 16,” she said. “They are too young to get tested. Aneurysms grow over time. I want the best technology possible to determine if they have one. The only way I can ensure that happens is to continue to raise awareness and make sure researchers [have] funding to get the answers.”
At the symposium, Ms. Epperson will talk about her experiences and present the grant to Brian Hoh, chair of neurosurgery at the University of Florida, who is researching early detection and prevention.