This man suffered devastating brain haemorrhage but managed to propose to his girlfriend without using any words
Sam Hensman, 25, suffered a brain haemorrhage and managed to propose to his girlfriend Tess Delony with a big smile.
Sam, who lives in Adelaide, Australia, was diagnosed two years ago with arteriovenous malformation (AVM), a condition where abnormal and poorly formed blood vessels knot in the brain and cause damage when they bleed, according to the Independent. His girlfriend, Tess, waited by his side during his 10 months in Flinders hospital in South Australia, when doctors said that his condition will continue to decline.
Sam proposed to his girlfriend with an amethyst ring on Saturday and she said yes. “As I came over he pulled out the little black box with this big smile on his face,” Tess told Australian news organisation nine.com.au on Wednesday. “I started to get a bit teary because he couldn’t say, ‘Will you marry me?,’ but the amethyst meant everything. He pulled me in for a hug and I said, ‘Yes’ – it was really special.”
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Sam had previously been studying to become an electrician and suffered a seizure at his partner’s home. The massive haemorrhage occured days before a surgery in which neurosurgeon Dr. Nazih Assad had planned to remove the growth to avoid any other potential damage to the brain. After the AVM was removed during two rounds of surgery which lasted for nine and 14 hours respectively, Sam woke up, unable to move or speak.
“We couldn’t believe he was still alive,” said Sam’s sister Prue Cartledge. “Mum said she lost count of the number of times she was told her Sam was going to die. One of the doctors said to their staff, ‘No one survives four brain haemorrhages’ but Sam is a bit of a miracle. So many pathways in his brain were damaged by the haemorrhages and surgery he has had to learn all the basic skills again.”
Sam made progress, as he taught himself to walk again and regained muscle tissue. He can now communicate using an iPad. “He… understands everything. We expect there to be some damage to his memory but he has a good understanding of what is going on,” Prue added.
When Sam decided to propose to his girlfriend, he started pointing to his mother Pam’s wedding ring. When she realised that he wanted to ask Tess to marry him, Sam was “so relieved”, as Prue explained. “I would never wish this whole experience on anyone but it really does connect you in a way that not a lot of other people would get to experience – that’s what makes it really special,” Tess said.
Sam’s family and friends have raised over $15,000 to aid his rehabilitation with the help of a GoFundMe page.
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