Alyssa Bray's journey back from AVM has been a long one

FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES

The way Dawn Bray sees it, Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Mike Patterson was lucky.

Patterson collapsed at training camp at Lehigh University earlier this week and suffered a seizure. The team said doctors at Lehigh Valley Hospital diagnosed the problem as arteriovenous malformation, or AVM, a congenital tangle of blood vessels around the brain that had previously gone undetected.

The same condition nearly cost Alyssa Bray her life three years ago.

Alyssa, of Bushkill Township, was 16 when she was waiting for a bus ride home from school in October 2008 and the blood vessels ruptured. She was in a coma for days and underwent three brain surgeries over nine months.

Dawn Bray, Alyssa’s mother, said those memories flooded back this week with reports of Patterson’s scare Wednesday morning.

“Usually you don’t have a warning sign,” she said. “We didn’t.”

Other than a headache that day, the Brays had no inkling of any health trouble for Alyssa.

Like Patterson, who was released from the hospital and at training camp with his teammates Friday, Alyssa was treated at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township.

Unlike Patterson, Bray’s return to a sense of normalcy has been a tough road. It's one she’s overcome with grit and grace, her mother said Friday.

Alyssa turned 19 on July 29, works part time as a receptionist and will be in her second year at Northampton Community College in the fall. She also has a driver’s license.

“She’s doing well. She still works hard though every day,” said her mother, a first-grade teacher in the Parkland School District in Lehigh County. “Her pace is slow. Everything that she has to do takes a lot longer than she used to.

“She’s come so far. We didn’t know what her prognosis was going to be. We’re grateful that she’s come as far as she has and that she’s done it with a smile on her face.”

Alyssa’s tangle of veins was in the part of her brain that controls motor skills.

She continues with physical therapy and walks two miles a day but still sometimes has trouble coordinating her balance. While mobile, Alyssa lacks a complete sense of feeling on the right side of her body, her mother said.

BIRTHDAY VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0E2E7tYgYm8

Dawn Bray produced a birthday video that she posted on YouTube and Facebook, marking Alyssa's long journey.

Her story was a triumphant one in the Nazareth area, especially after she was crowned homecoming queen in October 2009 and walked across the stage to accept her diploma from Nazareth Area High School in 2010.

“It’s pretty touching to see how far she’s come,” Dawn Bray said.

“As difficult as our road has been, we have been truly blessed by the many people who came into our lives as a result of Alyssa’s situation. The prayers and concern of everyone have certainly played a major role in her recovery.”

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/nazareth/index.ssf/2011/08/alyssa_brays_journey_back_from.html