On Sunday 12th February 2017 as Anne went to sit down for dinner with her husband and three children, what started as a popping feeling and pain behind her eye escalated quickly.
Within 30 mins Anne was in an ambulance, in a coma and rushing through the streets of Glasgow to get to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital. Upon arrival her husband Garry was told Anne had a significant brain bleed and would be held in a coma until they could understand more about what was going on in her brain. Given the size of the bleed there was a strong possibility she would not make it through the night. It was now a waiting game.
In the following days the prognosis didn’t improve, and the wait continued. After some failed attempts a successful surgery was performed on day nine – when a platinum coil was placed in the centre of her brain to fill the aneurysm and stem the bleed.
A full recover was not expected. In the early days even speaking and walking was a challenge, and doctors predicted Anne would need help with everyday tasks for the rest of her life. But that’s not how it worked out.
A commitment to personal development since her teenage years and resilience previously built when her mum died when she was a child meant that Anne knew better. She went on a journey that amazed everyone around her and one that she continues on today.
In 2018 Anne set up her own consultancy and began working across the UK. She became a contributor on BBC Radio, produced and hosted multiple podcasts, featured in opinion pieces on BBC and STV television. Anne committed to doing life on her terms.
Anne has been delivering motivational talks and workshops about her own journey and how we can all live on the other side of disastrous life events since 2019.
Anne also speaks passionately about behaviours and accountability following the publication of her book ‘People Are Arseholes’ in June 2024 where she encourages the reader (with a generous amount of humour) to contemplate the impact their behaviours are having on themselves and the people around them.
