Eriana Cruz-Franco

Hello, my name is Eriana Marcielle Cruz-Franco, and I am 15 years old. I suffered a brain bleed, Stroke, and TBI on June 21, 2025. I was 14 years old when I had my brain bleed. My family and I were on our way to a softball tournament when I felt very sick. I threw up, and then I passed out. I woke up to throw up. My dad pulled over, and I ran out of the car to throw up. I passed out, and that’s all I remember. My parents took me to a hospital 1 mile away. It took doctors 12 minutes to realize what had happened to me. They put me in a helicopter and flew me to a hospital in Norfolk, VA. It was there that I went under surgery, and doctors found out what I had. I was in a coma for 1 month. After waking up, the doctors had me do speech, physical, and occupational therapy. All of these helped me learn how to walk and talk again. Just because something traumatic has happened to you doesn’t mean you have to stop. Just keep moving forward and never look at the past. I am now a 10th grader. Although I still face challenges, I never let them stop me from being who I am today.