A HEALTHY man tragically passed away after having a seizure at the gym, brought on by a hidden brain condition he never knew he had.
The only potential signs Stu Grant, 36, had of the condition before this were “a few headaches”, but he assumed these were stress related and got himself some blue light glasses for work.
Stu Grant, 36, sadly died from a hidden brain condition earlier this year Credit: SWNS
He was working out at the gym when he threw up, had a seizure and was rushed to hospital Credit: SWNS
Stu Grant was a regular gym-goer and a fitness fanatic, but one day he started to be sick out of the blue during a workout.
Following this, the recruitment manager had a seizure and was rushed to Worcester Royal Hospital on March 17.
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Stu was intubated in the intensive care unit (ICU) but sadly he passed away the following day from a brain stem death.
Doctors told his family that Stu had a genetic condition known as arteriovenous malformation (AVM) – an abnormal cluster of blood vessels – that had spontaneously burst and caused a fatal brain bleed.
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They were informed that the AVM had probably been present in his brain since birth or early childhood – something Stu and his family were all unaware of.
AVMs occur randomly and can develop anywhere in the body, including the brain, neck, spine, kidneys, intestines and lungs.
If AVMs don’t rupture, some people can go their whole lives never knowing they have one.
Stu’s family were told that not all AVM ruptures are fatal but sadly due to the location of his – next to the brain stem – it had a catastrophic outcome.
His sister Jodie, 32, described Stu as a fitness fanatic and “good at every sport he put his hand to”.
She said: “Stu was the healthiest man I ever knew, he was good at everything, and he was the most amazing man ever.
“I think he’d had a few headaches but it was normal, he just put it down to stress and normal life, and bought himself some blue light glasses for work.
“Suddenly I was getting a call from my mum to say my older brother was going to die, or be severely brain damaged. And he died.
Stu’s death was caused by an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in his brain that burst Credit: SWNS
Neither Stu nor his family were aware he had an AVM until after he died Credit: SWNS
“I’ve never experienced anything like this, losing a healthy sibling with no warning. It fundamentally changes you.”
Stu had been working out at his local David Lloyd gym in Worcester when he started to feel unwell, threw up and then sadly had a seizure – unrelated to his workout.
Jodie continued: “He had a brain scan as soon as he got to hospital and the consultants could see it was AVM straight away.
“We were told he pretty much died soon after that, the doctors and nurses said it would have been in an instant and he wouldn’t have known anything about it.
“He was then taken to ICU, but we now know he was already dead then. As soon as they saw the scan they knew it was catastrophic but they had to do brain stem tests to be sure.”
Stu was on the organ donation register, so after he passed away his organs were used to save three lives.
His liver went to a 30 year old woman “who would have died without it”, Jodie said, while his two kidneys went to men in their fifties and sixties.
Jodie and her other brother James are now trying to get tested to see if they have an AVM.
Stu’s family are now trying to raise money and awareness about AVMs Credit: SWNS
What is an Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM)?
An arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is an abnormal tangle of blood vessels.
They can occur in the brain as well as other areas of the body like the neck, spine, kidneys and lungs.
AVMs are rare and it is estimated that they’re present in about one in 100,000 people.
They are usually present from birth or early childhood, but many health professionals discover them in people aged 20 to 40 years old.
Symptoms may include:
Headache
Muscle weakness or complete paralysis
Nausea and vomiting
Numbness or tingling sensation
Dizziness
Problems with movement, speech, memory, thinking, balance or vision
Mental confusion, hallucinations or dementia
Back pain (can be sudden and severe) or weakness in your lower body (hips) and legs to your toes
Shortness of breath during exertion
Coughing up blood (if the AVM is in your lungs)
Abdominal pain
Lumps on arms or legs
Pain and swelling
You may or may not have symptoms if you have an arteriovenous malformation. Up to 15 per cent of people with AVMs don’t have symptoms. Often, the first sign you have an AVM is after it bleeds.
Source: Cleveland Clinic
And the grieving family are hoping to raise awareness about the condition while also fundraising in Stu’s memory for an AVM charity working towards developing treatments and methods of detection.
“There might be so many other people out there who have no idea they have an AVM too,” Jodie said.
The family are arranging a group walk up Snowdon, North Wales, to raise money for The Butterfly AVM Charity.
Jodie said: “We wanted to set up the mountain walk because he would have loved that.
“He’d have loved exercising outdoors with other people, and spreading awareness of AVM.
“Stu always wanted to be the best version of himself, and that came across to everyone he met.”
She added: “He was doing so well and he was robbed of his life. The pain for us is horrendous.
“Something like this happening, it just rocks your world.
“If there could be more awareness and testing for AVMs, it would change lives for the better.”
