Personal Update: Oct 2015

I wrote my last update over 2 years ago. Aug 2015 Update

I was declared AVM free in 2008 after a bleed in 2006, gamma knife in 2007, and radiation necrosis in 2008. I've not had any symptoms and no reason to think that the AVM has returned. I realize how lucky I am. I count my blessing daily.

After I recovered, I applied to medical school and was accepted. I completed 2 of 4 years but running Ben's Friends (the nonprofit that runs AVMSurvivors.org), Nadine West (an e-commerce startup), and being in medical school was too much for me. So I took a leave of absence from medical school and moved to Austin to focus on Ben's Friends and Nadine West.

These days, I split my time between Ben's Friends and Nadine West. This month, in particular, the behind the scenes team has been working hard on our most important fundraiser yet. The fundraiser video is below. Indiegogo campaign page will be live on Nov 1.

I haven't forgotten how lucky I am to be alive. I'm grateful that I've had the opportunity to meet many wonderful AVM survivors through this site. Thank you for being a part of my life.

--Ben

ben@bensfriends.org

Ben, Thanks for sharing your update.

Thank you Ben!

thank YOU for this site

Many thanks for creating your little "safe harbor" space for us! Family and friends really don't want to hear every update. It is endless; but I feel so connected here.

I don't know how you handled med school in addition to all you do on this site.As you may have noticed, I am back on AVM, but focused on Extremities. Happy Trails!