A senior at the University of Georgia is on life support after experiencing a severe brain hemorrhage while enjoying spring break in Mexico with her friends.
Liza Burke was in Cabo San Lucas, located on the southern point of the Baja peninsula, when she complained of a headache during breakfast one morning of the trip.
“A few hours later, her friends called the doctor because they couldn’t wake her. She was immediately rushed to the hospital where she was diagnosed with Arteriovenous malformation (AVM) which cause her brain to hemorrhage,” one of Burke’s friends, Jennifer Ritter, wrote on a GoFundMe page she created for her friend.
Burke is currently at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, and is reportedly on life support.
The NIH website describes Burke’s condition as rare. “Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are abnormal, snarled tangles of blood vessels that cause multiple irregular connections between your arteries and veins,” the website says. “These malformations most often occur in the spinal cord and in any part of your brain or on its surface but can develop elsewhere in the body.”
The description goes on to comport with Burke’s own experience, listing headache as one of the leading indicators of the condition. “Headaches can vary greatly in frequency, duration, and intensity, sometimes becoming as severe as migraines. No specific pattern of headache has been identified,” the NIH page continues.
The GoFundMe set up by Ritter went into more detail about Burke’s trip to Mexico and the ordeal she subsequently endured.
“Our dear friend, Liza Burke, desperately needs our help. Liza, a senior at UGA, was enjoying her last spring break in Cabo San Lucas with a big group of friends,” the description reads.
“She woke Friday morning feeling great. At breakfast, she complained of a headache and went back to the room to rest. A few hours later, her friends called the doctor because they couldn’t wake her,” it continues.
“She was immediately rushed to the hospital where she was diagnosed with Arteriovenous malformation (AVM) which cause her brain to hemorrhage. She is currently on life-support. Her family and doctors are working hard to give her the best medical treatment possible. They have agreed that she needs to return to the U.S. immediately to receive expert care from experienced doctors,” the GoFundme adds.
“So many people have reached out wanting to help which is a testament to how many people Liza has touched,” Ritter concludes in her overview. “She is genuine, dynamic, playful and fierce. She has so much left to give to the world. Please continue to pray for her full recovery. All donations will help fund her life-flight transport from Mexico to Jacksonville. Thank you for loving our sweet Liza.”
As of this writing, the account had raised nearrly $150,000.
U.S. embassies and consulates have issued travel advisories for would-be spring breakers to the country’s southern neighbors. While there are currently no advisements to avoid venturing across the border, there are plenty of reminders about the risks of traveling abroad and the government entities offer suggestions to remain as safe as possible.
Featured image: Facebook, Liza Burke
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