PROVO — Last year, Brooke Andersen secured a slot with one of a handful of surgeons in the world who could do an operation to improve her quality of life. The only problem? The surgeon was located in Spain during the height of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Her surgery was postponed indefinitely as the mortality rate in Spain rose and Spanish cemeteries ran out of room for all the bodies.
In the summer of 2019, Andersen's health rapidly declined.
It all started with vision and hearing problems. Then Andersen started unexpectedly losing consciousness. Months later, she developed severe migraines, memory loss and brain fog. Her doctors ordered an MRI, but during the exam she suddenly became paralyzed from the chest down. Her ability to speak came and went.