Researching the Same Condition that Almost Took Her Life: Gia’s Story
At 14 years old, Gia Patel had a vibrant passion for life and a strong drive to learn and experience new things. She traveled, played tennis, and took all advanced classes at school. Gia had high hopes for a bright, fulfilling future. That was until a medical emergency threatened to shatter those dreams and aspirations.
One day after coming home from school, Gia suddenly experienced the worst headache of her life. After being misdiagnosed twice, Gia finally learned that she had a ruptured brain aneurysm. The rupture was causing blood to slowly fill her brain, and if the doctors couldn’t stop it soon, the consequences would be devastating. After weeks of different hospitals, setbacks, and failed surgeries, Gia’s parents, Kishan and Rupal Patel, found Dr. Michael T. Lawton, President and CEO of Barrow Neurological Institute. He was their last hope. The Patel family traveled to Barrow, where Dr. Lawton successfully performed surgery on Gia, saving her life.
The whole experience deeply affected Gia, and she began a quest to learn more about brain aneurysms so she could educate others. “I created a documentary called Beyond a Headache to raise awareness about aneurysms and interviewed Dr. Lawton for it. Hearing him speak about his career and work was incredibly inspiring and really piqued my interest in neuroscience research,” she says.
When she turned 16, Gia applied to Barrow’s Summer High School Internship Program. She was accepted and placed in Dr. Tomoki Hashimoto’s laboratory at the Barrow Aneurysm and AVM Research Center.
“Interning at the same institution that saved my life felt like a full-circle moment. It gave me such a sense of purpose knowing that I was researching solutions and contributing to treatments for future patients with the same condition that I had.”
Gia spent 12 weeks working in Dr. Hashimoto’s laboratory, gaining knowledge and receiving training many others wouldn’t experience until they reached medical school. Specifically, she contributed to hands-on research and data collection involving preclinical models of aneurysm formation, learning about each aspect of the experimentation process in depth. She also learned how to write a formal research paper and presented her findings to Barrow faculty at the end of the summer.
“Dr. Hashimoto’s passion for aneurysm research created an inspiring environment where I could thoroughly develop my skills and knowledge. He always provided thoughtful feedback and encouraged me to ask questions, which made the whole experience incredibly rewarding.”
Gia’s parents say they noticed a major change in their daughter that summer, saying:
“Being able to work hands-on in a lab instead of just shadowing doctors like other internships made all the difference for Gia. She was learning new things every day and the excitement in her voice when she talked to us was unlike anything we had seen since before the aneurysm rupture.”
For Gia, the internship solidified her path forward in medicine and opened her eyes to the endless opportunities that neuroscience research affords. “I believe the future holds so much promise for improving the outcomes of patients with conditions like brain aneurysms, and I hope to make a difference in achieving those outcomes,” she says.
For Gia’s parents, they say Barrow gave her a future that no other place could have provided:
“We couldn’t be prouder of Gia, and we are so thankful to Barrow for not only saving her life but also helping her find her passion and realize her full potential. This program truly has the power to inspire and shape future doctors and scientists.”