18-year-old Caroline McCaffrey survived a ruptured brain aneurysm after a CT scan found bleeding in her brain and doctors later identified a second aneurysm requiring another surgery.
1 in 4 patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage die before reaching a hospital, and another 13% die there, making her recovery after more than three weeks hospitalized unusually fortunate.
Family history review linked her case to a paternal great-grandmother's aneurysm, prompting wider screening because first-degree relatives face odds above 1 in 5 versus about 1 in 50 generally.
Kim McCaffrey's scan then found 2 small aneurysms that were surgically removed in November 2025, while Caroline's aunt also had two and other relatives continue testing.
Now 20, Caroline has returned to competitive running at Bucknell and joined NIH research on aneurysm recovery and blood biomarkers that could help identify future risk.