Yahoo News College Senior Returns to U.S. After Brain Hemorrhage on Spring Break Trip with Friends in Mexico
GoFundMe
A senior at the University of Georgia is recovering after suffering a brain hemorrhage while on a trip to Mexico for spring break.
Liza Burke was visiting Cabo San Lucas with friends last week when she suddenly fell ill, ABC affiliate WSB-TV and FOX affiliate WAGA-TV reported.
The young woman was found unresponsive in her hotel room on Friday after waking up with a headache that bothered her throughout breakfast, according to a GoFundMe started by Burke's friend Jennifer Ritter.
She was later diagnosed with arteriovenous malformation (AVM) at a local hospital, Ritter said. Doctors said the condition triggered the brain bleed, which has left Burke on life support.
The 22-year-old returned to the U.S. via medical flight on Tuesday after various delays, according to WSB-TV and NBC affiliate WXIA-TV.
More than $138,000 was raised via Ritter's GoFundMe campaign to help pay for Burke's life-flight transport from Mexico to Jacksonville, Fla.
"We are just so appreciative of the donations," Laura McKeithen, Burke's mom, told WXIA-TV. "Needless to say it covered the costs of the flights."
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AVMs occur when a group of blood vessels are improperly tangled within the body, according to the Johns Hopkins Medicine website. It is unclear why exactly they form.
Ritter told WSB-TV that Burke's condition is one she has had since birth, "and nobody knew she had it."
Ritter described Burke as a "genuine, dynamic, playful and fierce" young woman on the GoFundMe page, adding, "She has so much left to give to the world."
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Burke is currently being treated by doctors at the Mayo Clinic, per the reports.
The UGA student had a portion of her skull removed to help stop the bleed, Ritter told WSB-TV.
McKeithan said her daughter is now able to breathe on her own, though she is still attached to a ventilator for assistance, per the report. She has also been able to squeeze her mom's hand.
"[Burke is] nothing short of a miracle," McKeithen told the outlet. "We are told to take things one day at a time and not get our hopes too high, but to have plenty of hope."
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The family is still asking for prayers as Burke undergoes further testing and treatment.
"So far, all that energy that is out there in the universe seems to be working for her so I would say keep doing whatever people are doing," McKeithen said, per WXIA-TV.
