In a remarkable testament to survival and faith, a former Delaware beauty queen’s life took a dramatic turn when she collapsed during a routine family game night in 2018. Cynthia Martinez’s journey through a life-threatening brain aneurysm, multiple surgeries, and partial skull removal has transformed her into a passionate advocate for brain health awareness and a living testimony to what she describes as the power of prayer.
A game night that changed everything
At just 34 years old, Martinez experienced a moment that would alter her life forever. “I had bent over to tell my son something when I just fell — in front of my friends and at the feet of my son,” she recounts. What began as a simple evening with her 4-year-old son at a friend’s house quickly escalated into an emergency situation, with Martinez experiencing excruciating headache pain as paramedics rushed her to the hospital.
Multiple medical challenges
Doctors diagnosed Martinez with a ruptured brain aneurysm, requiring immediate surgery for a craniotomy to clip the aneurysm. However, her medical journey was far from over. She developed multiple complications, including pneumonia and infections in her lungs, kidneys, and blood. A subsequent stroke caused dangerous brain swelling, forcing doctors to perform a partial skull removal with uncertain odds of survival.
“My family was in absolute shock and disbelief,” Martinez explains. “They [doctors] went from, ‘Oh she’s going to be OK’ to ‘Wait, what are her final wishes?'”
Global prayer network and recovery
Martinez attributes her survival and recovery to an international network of prayer support. “I have family in Chile, Argentina, Uruguay that were all praying for me. As well as family friends in Spain, co-workers in the UK, current and old co-workers all over the US that were praying for me,” she shares. “And it worked. I’m walking proof that it works; the power of prayer and miracles are very real.”
Her recovery journey included additional surgeries due to an infected bone flap and the use of a tissue expander to prepare for synthetic bone insertion in her skull. Despite these challenges, Martinez maintains a positive perspective: “When things get tough I try to remind myself that I’m alive and I was given this privilege of living. I struggle because I’m living.”
Advocacy and awareness
Today, Martinez dedicates her time to raising awareness about brain aneurysms and strokes. She shares her story publicly to inspire others facing similar challenges: “We are all strong enough, we just don’t know it until we are pushed against the wall and forced to fight. Fight for our lives, fight for our recovery, fight for whatever it is that is important to us.”
Documenting her journey has become a way to acknowledge the support she received. “That’s why I decided to publicly document my journey. I just felt that, so many people all over prayed for me — I owe it to them to show them what they did. What their prayers accomplished,” she explains. “I will be forever grateful to everyone.”
