I Had a Brain Aneurysm at 30. Now I'm Heading to AANS.
In March 2018, I went in for an MRI scan that I almost didn't schedule. I was 30 years old, completely asymptomatic, no headaches, no pain, no warning signs of any kind. I only went because my mom had been diagnosed with a brain aneurysm the year before, and because aneurysms can be genetic, her siblings and children got tested. She is one of eight, and she has three kids. Everyone went. I was last.
I assumed I was fine. I was 30 years old, healthy, and I had absolutely no indication that I had a ticking time bomb in my head. The scan itself took less than ten minutes. I went back to my day, and I got a call the next morning with the news: I had medium-sized brain aneurysm in my carotid artery.
My Surgery
When I got that call, I was not starting from scratch trying to figure out where to go. I knew exactly who I wanted to see.
Dr. Elad Levy, my surgeon, is the Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at UB Neurosurgery in Buffalo, a center of neurosurgical excellence known globally for its cerebrovascular work, led by the late Dr. Nick Hopkins. I had worked in healthcare. I knew the reputation of that department. I knew the caliber of the surgeons, and I knew that Dr. Levy had already helped my mom. It was a no-brainer (pun intended).
So I went in for a cerebral angiogram. The team plotted their path. I went through an awake procedure, and it worked. No more aneurysm. I recovered, I got back to the MBA program I was finishing on nights and weekends, and I got back to running a full marketing department at an orthopedic practice.
The Conversation That Started Everything
A colleague from the neurosurgery department that had just treated me asked what I planned to do after I finished my MBA. I told him I wanted to start my own agency. He offered me a freelance position helping with their social media.
The very team that saved my life became my first client.
That one opportunity grew into working with individual physicians, then multiple practices across the United States, and eventually into Atria Social, a healthcare branding and social media agency that now serves physicians and surgeons exclusively across the country.
I didn't plan any of that. The aneurysm didn't derail the direction I was already heading. What it did was pause everything long enough for me to get clear, and then it handed me the exact door I needed to walk through.
The Full Circle Moment
Almost exactly 8 years later, I'm now heading to the AANS Annual Meeting in San Antonio as the social media strategist for two of my neurosurgery clients. I'll be on site capturing content, supporting real-time posting, and doing the exact work I have spent the last several years building a company around.
Eight years ago, I was the patient. Now I am the person helping tell the story of the surgeons.
That full-circle moment is not lost on me, and it is the reason I am writing this post.
What Being a Patient Taught Me That No Textbook Could
When I got that call in 2018, I knew who to call because I had inside knowledge of the system. I was already inside a world where UB Neurosurgery's reputation circulated. I heard it from colleagues, from my mom's colleagues, from people who had seen that department's work firsthand.
Most patients are not inside that world.
Most patients are sitting with a diagnosis, or a referral, or a question, and they are searching online. In fact, 77% of patients search their doctor before scheduling an appointment. They are looking at social profiles and websites, trying to make a decision with incomplete information.
They're not weighing your CV, they're not reading your research, and they're not always asking for a referral. They are doing what people do when they do not know where to start: they search, and hopefully find someone they can trust.
And the search landscape is shifting even further. Roughly 30% of searches are now happening on AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude, which means the question is no longer just whether you rank on Google. The question is whether your name, your specialty, and your point of view exist anywhere online in a way that an algorithm can find, surface, and recommend.
This is not a criticism of how patients make decisions. It is just the reality of how people find doctors in 2026. The physician who is exceptional but invisible online is losing patients to someone who may be significantly less skilled but significantly more present.
If You Are a Neurosurgeon Reading This, This Is for You
On Thursday, June 4th, I am hosting a webinar titled, Social Media for Neurosurgeons Who Don't Have Time. This is a free one-hour webinar built specifically for the neurosurgeon who knows they should be on social media, but has not had a single free hour to figure out where to start.
I have worked with 60+ neurosurgeons and built this session around exactly what that specialty needs, including time-saving strategies you can set and forget or hand off to your team, an exclusive look at a new offer I am launching specifically for surgeons and physicians, and bonus worksheets, AI prompts, and templates you can use right away.
The session runs from 12PM to 1PM EST on June 4th, and your team is welcome to join. If you cannot make it live, register anyway and the replay will come to you.
Reserve your seat at Brand Rounds #004 here.
ABOUT:
Amanda Dougherty is the founder and CEO of Atria Social, a boutique healthcare branding and social media agency serving physicians and surgeons exclusively. She has 14 years of experience in healthcare marketing and holds an MBA. Learn more at atriasocial.com or book a free 30-minute strategy call to talk about your physician brand.
