Brain aneurysm survivors among thousands competing in Philadelphia Marathon

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- More than 17,000 people are registered for the Philadelphia Marathon this weekend. Of those registered, 15,000 people are registered for the half-marathon and 5,000 more for the 8k.

"Gosh, we have a record number this year," said race director Kathleen Titus.

Race weekends, like this one, bring people together.

"There are a lot of comeback stories here. A lot of groups that come together and are out here running for a cause," Titus added.

Including 50-year-old Kathy Nguyen, of Newark, who will compete in her 29th marathon this weekend.

Ten years ago, Nguyen suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm. In 2015, the avid runner had a terrible headache and collapsed at a family brunch.

That's when everything changed.

"There were so many situations during my rupture that I shouldn't be standing here talking to you," Nguyen said.

Nguyen and her husband founded "We Run With You," a non-profit that raises awareness and money for research.

"The most important thing is advocacy. With this disease, it really does not discriminate. It can happen to anyone," explained Nguyen.

"When I went to the initial hospital, I was misdiagnosed. I was misdiagnosed that I was showing behavioral issues, and it took my husband to advocate for me to tell them something is wrong," Nguyen added.

Misdiagnosis of brain aneurysms occurs in up to one quarter of patients when initially seeking medical attention, according to the Brain Aneurysm Foundation.

The non-profit also provides support for survivors, like 18-year-old Bucknell sophomore Caroline McCaffrey.

The cross country, and track and field athlete suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm in June on Father's Day while she was on a training run.

"I just got the worst headache. They call it a thunder clap headache -- the worst headache of my life," McCaffrey described.

"The first doctor, he kept saying it's a migraine. 'We're going to give you the cocktail and send you home,' but my mom was insistent something was wrong," McCaffrey recalled.

A different doctor, who came in at shift change, ran a CT scan and saw blood on her brain.

By mid-August, McCaffrey had undergone two brain surgeries.

McCaffrey is taking the semester off to recover. She started walking miles and then began to run.

McCaffrey will compete in the 8k this weekend for "We Run With You."

"It was really important for me after everything happened to just find community because I felt really alone," said McCaffrey. "A lot of my teammates from Bucknell, they're running or coming to support, and I've seen a lot just how it goes a lot deeper than just running or just the sport. It's more the community that's built around it."

"The one thing you want to focus on is look at how far you've come," said Nguyen.

McCaffrey's mother told Nguyen that reading survivors' accounts through the "We Run With You" website helped boost McCaffrey's spirits while she was in the hospital.

"I always have to remind myself, like, why am I doing this, why am I running marathons and raising money? And, it's really for individuals, like Caroline," Nguyen said. "It's about sharing with the world that others have been in your footsteps. It's just a reminder to me to keep going. Keep showing up and to keep running for those who can't..