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Almost Fatal Brain Hemorrhage Shapes Young Man's Perspective on Life

"It may sound cliché, but my advice to other people would be that: as low as things seem, never give up. There's always hope," said Bob Karpiak, an 18-year-old high school senior from LaGrange.

His lowest point in life was waking up after emergency brain surgery and realizing he was paralyzed on his left side. He was 13 years old at the time. Someone told him he might never walk again. "It made me work harder," Karpiak said.

Karpiak was in seventh grade and helping his mother back stage at a grade school talent show when he was struck with an excruciating headache. His dad took him home and called the doctor while Karpiak's condition quickly worsened. Soon he was unable to walk and passed out on the bed. Emergency physicians at the local hospital wisely called for the LIFESTAR helicopter to transport Karpiak to Loyola University Medical Center.

"Bob had an abnormal tangle of blood vessels located on the right side of his brain behind the eye," said Douglas Anderson, M.D., the neurosurgeon at Loyola who operated on Karpiak. "The blood vessel tangle, called an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), had ruptured and a large blood clot was compressing the brain. When I first saw him, Bob was close to death. The blood clot had enlarged to the extent that vital brain stem structures had been compromised and compressed."

About 20,000 cases of AVM are diagnosed each year. At least 15 percent of patients die during the rupture of an AVM. Karpiak survived in large part because he was rushed quickly to Loyola
where neurosurgeons perform more than 1,000 brain surgeries each year and are adept at using the latest technology. For example, Loyola neurosurgeons were instrumental in pioneering the use of computerized surgical navigation systems.

"His AVM was complex and in a difficult location, with multiple vessels involved. This made treatment difficult," Anderson said.
After the nine-hour, life-saving surgery, Karpiak faced several months of rehabilitation during which he regained the use of his left side. Since then, he has had two more operations to remove troublesome pieces of the AVM in his brain. Yet, he has turned a several year struggle with illness into a stronger conviction about the value of life and a commitment to serving others.
"I appreciate things more. I don't take things for granted. The experience also has given me some direction in life," Karpiak said.

One of the activities that has grown out of Karpiak's health struggle was his participation in the Stritch Junior Service League (SJSL) through Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (SSOM). The SJSL is a service-oriented group of high school students who are nominated by schools, parishes or parents of former participants. The culmination of a series of summer volunteer projects is introduction to attendants at the black-tie Annual Award Dinner in November to benefit the SSOM. It is one of the most successful and prestigious fundraising events in Chicago. SJSL members serve as an honor guard for distinguished guests.

Through SJSL last summer, Karpiak worked at a soup kitchen, cooked for families of sick children at the Ronald McDonald® House, modeled at a fundraising and educational event for Loyola's breast cancer program and helped with other community activities.

"Through SJSL, young people learn the importance of performing services that benefit others," said Colleen Hayes, assistant director of alumni relations and coordinator of SJSL. "Working alongside the various volunteers at area soup kitchens, the SJSL members were exposed to things they wouldn't normally see. They were able to see first hand the needs of the less fortunate and what a crucial part volunteers play in running these facilities."
One experience that stands out for Karpiak was cooking meals for families of sick children at the Ronald McDonald House. "I usually have been on the patient side. It was nice to see things from a different point of view. We cooked food, played with the kids, talked to the parents. I knew what they were going through," Karpiak said.

"Bob is a great young man. He was extremely active in all the service projects the SJSL members participated in," Hayes said. "With their busy class schedules and other activities, that is a big commitment."
While Karpiak is leading an active, normal life, it is unclear at this point if the AVM is totally gone. He will have an angiogram (an X-ray of the blood vessels in his brain) in about year.  
Karpiak has had to give up baseball and contact sports, which he loved, but he has replaced those interests with greater involvement in other hobbies, such as theater and guitar. He is an excellent student and already has been accepted into several colleges. His goal is to pursue a career in medicine. "Of course, my experiences have pushed me toward it. I don't think I would have wanted to be a doctor otherwise," Karpiak said. "Now I really want to help others and be a positive person in my community."

Loyola currently is accepting nominations for the Stritch Junior Service League. For information, call (708) 216-4607.

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