Brain aneurysm survivor brings awareness 5K to Point Hope

Tricia Scobey remembers telling the doctor she wasn’t dying that day. 

It was Nov. 8, 2020, and what she had mistaken for a migraine was actually a ruptured brain aneurysm. By the time she reached the hospital, doctors had found bleeding in her brain and told her she needed immediate, lifesaving surgery. 

“I told (the doctor) I wasn't dying today and to proceed with the surgery, regardless of the potential complications,” Scobey remembered. 

Nearly six years later, the Point Hope resident is still here, and on Sept. 26, she’s inviting the community to move alongside her. 

Scobey will host an informal 1-mile and 5K run, walk, and stroll beginning at 9 a.m. at Coastal Skillet in Point Hope. The fundraiser benefits The Bee Foundation for Brain Aneurysm Prevention, where Scobey serves as an ambassador and volunteer race director. 

It will be the first year the event is held in Point Hope following Scobey’s move to the area. 

The casual outing is open to runners, walkers, children, dogs, strollers and bikes, with participants of all ages. Scobey will share her story and information about aneurysm warning signs before participants head out on the course. Food from Coastal Skillet will follow. 

There’s no pressure to finish either distance. “It is simply an opportunity to move, enjoy the community, and learn about TBF,” Scobey said. 

Scobey spent a month in the ICU after her rupture and has since undergone three brain surgeries, including a craniotomy, along with procedures related to complications with her subclavian artery. A clot during a 2025 surgery traveled to her brain, causing a stroke and right-side numbness. 

Today, she still navigates fatigue, short-term memory problems, and difficulty with numbers, multitasking, and overstimulation. 

“I am not who I was; I never will be,” she said. “I am a new version, not better or worse, just different.” 

Scobey turned that experience into advocacy, first raising more than $5,000 by running six miles for six months with friends and family. She later helped launch The Bee Foundation’s race series in 2022 and has participated in four Advocacy Days, including trips to Capitol Hill with her son to push for research funding and Elli’s Law. Last year, the race series raised $100,000. 

The foundation provides seed grants for brain aneurysm prevention research. This year’s Point Hope fundraiser has already collected $6,821.37 toward its $12,000 goal. 

The need, Scobey says, is urgent. About one in 50 people has a brain aneurysm, often without symptoms. A rupture occurs roughly every 18 minutes; women are 1.5 times more likely to be affected, and about 40% of ruptures are fatal. 

“If you ever have a headache that hits suddenly and feels like the worst of your life, not building over hours, but arriving like a switch flipped, do not wait it out,” she said. “Call 911.” 

Her goal now is bigger than one morning, one race, or even one fundraising total. 

“Let's make my survival story part of the majority, instead of the very slim minority.”