Mum-of-four Natalie Fisher had a ‘banging headache’ but was convinced it was nothing to worry about when she went for a quick nap
14:58, 07 Sep 2025Updated 15:00, 07 Sep 2025
Natalie Fisher went for a nap with a headache – and woke up in hospital six weeks later
A mum who went to bed with a headache woke up six weeks later in hospital after suffering a brain aneurism.
Natalie Fisher, from Stockport, was suffering with a “banging” headache when she asked her eldest son to look after her youngest, who is autistic and non-verbal, while she went for a nap on December 2, 2024.
However, her son soon became concerned after the mum-of-four failed to wake up from her sleep. An ambulance was quickly called for Natalie after she was found motionless.
Natalie’s family were told by doctors she had suffered a brain aneurism; which is when a brain artery bleeds into the brain or surrounding area and causes a haemorrhagic stroke.
READ MORE: Brit teen Carlo Acutis pronounced saint by Pope Leo as thousands attend ceremonyREAD MORE: ‘NHS missed my cancer – now I’m left with just four months to live’Natalie had surgery on her brain(Image: Natalie Fisher)
In hospital she remained in a comatose state, later explaining how she could hear everything going on in the room around her, before being transferred to Salford Royal Hospital, where open brain surgery ultimately saved her life, reports the Manchester Evening News.
“I went to bed because I had this banging headache,” Natalie said.
“All the children went to school but my youngest wasn’t in, and my eldest son who is 19, was in bed because he hadn’t been picked up for work on that morning of all mornings.
“I went upstairs and asked him to go and watch my youngest, who is severely autistic and non-verbal. He went down to look after him while I went for a lie down. I don’t suffer with headaches often so it was very weird for me.
The mum went for a nap with a headache – and woke up in hospital six weeks later
“I remember my head just popped and I fell back onto the bed. He came upstairs later and found me lying there and phoned the ambulance.”
She was rushed into Stepping Hill Hospital initially, where she remained in a coma for a number of weeks. Throughout the experience, she claims she remembers conversations being had in the room around her.
Coma patients’ brains process sounds and respond to familiar voices, even if showing no clear signs of awareness. It is a state of unconsciousness where a person is unresponsive and cannot be woken.
Some people feel they can remember events that happened around them while they were in a coma. Others have no memory of events, according to the NHS.
Natalie explained: “I remember my mum asking me to squeeze her hand. I remember seeing my family sitting there even though my eyes were closed. All around me.
“I remember the nurses saying they may need to turn off my life support machine and me just wanting to scream. I was trying to move and nothing was. I couldn’t talk or move yet I was still alive, it was surreal.
“My family were being told I was struggling to be alive on my own but I still heard everyone coming to see me, chatting among themselves and crying and I was just lying there. I couldn’t move, speak or even say I love you.”
Natalie says she remembers what happened in the room while she was in a coma(Image: Natalie Fisher)
Natalie also claims she vividly remembers being ‘thrown up some stairs’ and later ‘landing in a bed’ after first falling unconscious.
At another point, she claims that ahead of her she also saw her nan, who passed away four years ago, who told her to ‘go back to your mother’ moments before she opened her eyes for the first time.
“I used to think ‘you weirdo’ when people said stuff like that, but now I’ve been one to experience this for myself,” she said.
Natalie was later transferred to Salford Royal Hospital for surgery. When an aneurysm is located, a neurosurgeon typically carries out a procedure that seals it shut using a metal clip that stays permanently clamped on the aneurysm.
The mum-of-four eventually opened her eyes six weeks later on January 14.
She is still under the care of the specialists and is booked back in to go for a brain scan to check her progress. She currently has issues with her throat and voice box due to the ventilator tubes that kept her breathing.
“Once my eyes closed in my house, I didn’t open them for six weeks,” Natalie added. “My children are my world, I can’t live a day without them, and my son needs me, yet in that moment all I could think about was my mum.
“I wasn’t pulling through and then six weeks later I’m there again with all my family. It was unbelievable.
“I am mending myself by taking it easy and doing what my body is capable of doing. It’s small strides day by day, step by step, and slowly but surely I am getting there.
“It’s terrifying to go to bed for a lie down and not wake up for so long – but at least I am still here.”
