Anjane’t Clayter has proven her resilience more than once in her lifetime. She served for six years in Afghanistan, but it is her medical history that has proven to be the biggest fight of her life.
As a sophomore at Kendrick High School, she began suffering headaches. She went to a neurologist who diagnosed her with migraines. She was given medication that toned them down a bit. After moving to Missouri with her cousin, she had a seizure.
“The doctors there found I had an arteriovenous malformation (AVM). It’s an abnormal tangle of blood vessels that connect arteries directly to veins, skipping the tiny vessels called capillaries. At the time it was small, but I had to have MRIs every year,” explained Clayter.
How an AVM Works
- Arteries carry oxygen-rich blood away from your heart.
- Veins bring oxygen-poor blood back to your heart.
- Capillaries normally slow blood down and pass oxygen to your tissues.
- An AVM skips the capillaries, forcing high-pressure blood straight from arteries into weak veins.
AVMs are rare, less than 1% of people are diagnosed, which usually doesn’t occur unless you have symptoms such as Anjane’t has experienced.
During a routine MRI in 2022, physicians discovered the AVM had progressed to Grade 4, dramatically increasing the risks to her health.
“I was nauseous. I had multiple seizures and went into cardiac arrest. I’ve dealt with dizzy spells and horrible headaches. I also suffered a silent stroke. I couldn’t eat and lost 20 lbs. I was down to 90 lbs. at 37 years old.”
Her care has involved radiation and chemotherapy – even though she does not have cancer. Her ordeal has included long hospital stays and months of rehabilitation.
A year ago, she underwent a procedure using gamma knife technology at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital that has given her a reprieve from some of the most serious symptoms ever since.
Gamma Knife radiosurgery technology is a sophisticated form of radiation therapy that uses multiple focused beams to treat tumors and other abnormalities in the brain. Patients receiving care for both oncology and neurology-related conditions can benefit from gamma knife technology.
“My doctor and his team at Piedmont were amazing. The AVM is gone, but I got hit hard with the side effects.”
She uses a walker and a wheelchair when she needs it. Although she is currently not able to work, she has kept an upbeat attitude through it all and is an advocate for people diagnosed with AVM and other Traumatic Brain injuries.
Anjane’t is grateful for her support system, including her mother, cousins, and her strong faith. Despite all that she has been through, she keeps an upbeat attitude and is thankful that the gamma knife technology and her physicians have helped in her journey.
In less than a month, she will be attending her 20th reunion for Kendrick High School where she was a cheerleader for the Cherokees. Anjane’t Clayter certainly has a lot to cheer about.
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