Bigfork school principal recovers from aneurysm

Brenda Clarke feels blessed.

Blessed with the people that surround her, and blessed that despite suffering a brain aneurysm in January, she is back to work as principal of Bigfork Elementary and Middle School, doing what she loves.

“I’m quite fortunate,” she said. “I’m still a little bit in shock by the whole thing.”

It happened on Jan. 22 after finishing a staff meeting at the school. 

The only signs something might be wrong were just a few headaches. For maybe a week, Clarke said she was experiencing headaches, but when they went away with some ibuprofen, she wasn’t worried about them.

However, when the aneurysm happened, she knew something was wrong

“I knew it wasn’t a head ache,” Clarke said, “I knew it was an event.”

Luckily, elementary school secretary Carol Venegas, who used to be a 911 dispatcher, was still there. She recognized what was happening and called 911, Clarke said.

The Bigfork ambulance arrived and transported Clarke to Kalispell. From there, she was flown to Harbor View in Seattle where she was treated.

The aneurysm Clarke suffered from is called a Subarachnoid Hemmorrhage. A brain aneurysm is a weak bulging area in the wall of an artery that supplies blood to the brain. When a brain aneurysm ruptures, it causes bleeding in the compartment surrounding the brain. 

According to the Brain Aneurysm Foundation, an estimated six million people in the United States have an unruptured brain aneurysm. Ruptured aneurysms are fatal in about 40 percent of cases. Of those who survive about 66 percent suffer from some sort of permanent neurological damage. 

After being out of work for a month to recover, Clarke returned part time. After another month of part time work she dove back into the full swing of school administration. Though she said she still gets fatigued and has to be conscious about making sure she gets enough rest.

“It’s a strange thing to recover from,” she said. “I’ve just been able to step back into my life.”

She is happy to be back at work, doing what she loves, and receiving support from her colleagues. Clarke has been in education for 20 years, much of that as a third grade teacher in Kalispell. She started in Bigfork as the assistant Elementary and Middle School principal in the fall of 2012. This is her first school year as principal for the Elementary and Middle School.

“I’m passionate about what I do,” she said. “I have great support. This is a great school system. The overwhelming support I’ve gotten from the community has been amazing.”

Aneurysms are most common in people between 35-60, and women are more prone than men. Most aneurysms develop after the age of 40, and typically there are no warning signs.

“I’m just so thankful to be here,” Clarke said. “I really feel that I was quite blessed.”