For years, Barry’s Bootcamp instructor Alicia Beveridge was the picture of health – strong, fit, and radiating energy as she led packed fitness classes filled with loyal regulars.
But in September, the 41-year-old’s life changed in an instant when a sudden headache and blurred vision led to the shocking discovery of a large cavernoma, a cluster of abnormal blood vessels pressing on her brain.
The Sydney-based master instructor, who’s been a cornerstone of cult gym Barry’s Bootcamp since its Australian launch in 2018, recalled feeling ‘the healthiest version’ of herself before everything unravelled.
‘I was coming up to a year sober, loving my job, [and] the strongest and fittest I’d ever been,’ Alicia told the Daily Mail.
But behind her infectious energy and sculpted exterior, Alicia admitted she was quietly battling emotional exhaustion and loneliness.
‘From the outside, I looked the best I ever had, but on the inside, I was a little bit lost.
‘I was probably a little bit unhappy and sad, but I never showed it. As a trainer, your job is to lift others, even when you’re not okay yourself.’
It started innocently enough, with the occasional headache she brushed off as stress or fatigue. But within weeks, those headaches became so intense that Alicia had to stop teaching mid-class.
For years, Barry’s Bootcamp instructor Alicia Beveridge was the picture of health – strong, fit, and radiating energy as she led packed fitness classes filled with loyal regulars
What started only a few months prior as the occasional headache she brushed off as stress or fatigue, became so intense that Alicia had to stop teaching mid-class and rush straight to A&E
After visiting an eye hospital and being sent home with a patch, Alicia messaged a client who happened to be a neurosurgeon at North Shore Hospital
‘A headache came on so strong I couldn’t see properly,’ she recalled feeling mid-way through a jam-packed Friday morning class.
‘Management had to stop the class and send everyone home [and] they put me in an Uber straight to emergency.’
At the hospital she waited for hours, and when the pain subsided, Alicia made what she now calls a ‘silly’ decision to go home. A few days later, her right eye began to shut involuntarily.
‘I thought maybe I’d just got an eye infection. I had no idea it was connected to my brain.’
After visiting an eye hospital and being sent home with a patch, Alicia messaged a client who happened to be a neurosurgeon at North Shore Hospital.
‘She told me to come in for an hour that morning. I even parked in a one-hour spot,’ Alicia laughed.
‘I didn’t see that car again for 18 days.’
Within hours, doctors surrounded Alicia with grim faces and urgent instructions, explaining her condition was serious and that they needed to act fast.
But in September, the 41-year-old’s life changed in an instant when a sudden headache and blurred vision led to the shocking discovery of a large cavernoma, a cluster of abnormal blood vessels pressing on her brain
Doctors found a large cavernoma – rarely harmful in most cases, but Alicia’s was larger than a 50-cent coin and had started to bleed and press on her right eye. Just two days later, she underwent a seven-hour emergency brain surgery to remove it
‘They showed me a scan of my brain, and there was this big white blob on the right side – bigger than a 50-cent coin.’
The growth was identified as a cavernoma, which is a rare condition that affects around 1 in 600 people. But Alicia’s case was even rarer.
‘They told me it’s one in 400,000 that it ever causes a problem and mine had started bleeding. The pressure was pushing on my right eye, that’s why it was shutting.’
Two days later, on September 25, Alicia was wheeled into a seven-hour emergency brain surgery to remove the mass and stop the bleeding.
The bleeding can be life-threatening in severe cases or lead to seizures, paralysis or stroke.
Doctors don’t know what causes most cavernous malformations, but around 20 per cent of them are thought to be genetic.
Symptoms usually appear between ages of 20 and 60 and can include balance problems, blurred vision, dizziness, headaches, hearing loss and slurred speech.
Many have no symptoms at all; symptoms may only appear if the cavernoma is bleeding.
‘[Mine] turned out to be one of the biggest cavernomas they’d seen, which was a few centimetres across, and I joked it looked like a Chicken McNugget covered in sweet and sour sauce,’ Alicia said.
Waking up from surgery, Alicia’s world was unrecognisable after realising she couldn’t move, speak properly, or see out of one eye.
But through it all, she was surrounded by an outpouring of love, including her two best friends that visited her in hospital for 18 days straight. Pictured: Her beloved puppy Floyd
The Sydney-based master instructor, who’s been a cornerstone of cult gym Barry’s Bootcamp since its Australian launch in 2018, recalled feeling ‘the healthiest version’ of herself before everything unravelled
‘The pain and swelling were like nothing I’ve ever felt. They compared it to backburning, they’d had to burn away part of my brain so it could regenerate.’
For nearly three weeks, Alicia remained in hospital, unable to walk or shower without assistance, sleeping most of the time.
‘Your brain just shuts down to heal, so for someone who’s been fiercely independent since childhood, it was so hard to rely on others.’
But through it all, she was surrounded by an outpouring of love, including her two best friends that visited every day.
‘The nurses joked I’d turned the ward into a florist. I’d spent years helping people find strength, and now they were giving it back to me.’
Alicia was discharged after 18 days and is now undergoing daily outpatient rehab, including speech therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy.
Alicia’s recovery is steady but unpredictable. Supported by family at home in Sydney, she’s still waiting for her lively golden retriever Floyd to return, and is taking each day as it comes.
Her right eye and speech are steadily improving, but recovery is unpredictable.
‘The brain takes so much longer than any other part of the body to heal, so the doctors can’t give a timeline as every brain is different.’
She’s living back in her apartment in Sydney’s east, supported by her mum and a close friend who lives in the same building. Her beloved golden retriever puppy, Floyd, however, is still too strong and excitable to return home.
‘The neurosurgeons said I can’t have him yet, [because] apparently, if he pulls me, it could make my brain bounce around. I didn’t even know that was a thing.’
Six weeks on from her surgery, Alicia is taking things one day at a time, and finding new meaning in her recovery.
While she doesn’t know when, or if, she’ll be able to return to the Barry’s red room, Alicia has immense gratitude for her community
‘I used to be so hard on myself, even when I was fit, I didn’t think I was fit enough. Even when I looked good, it wasn’t good enough. But having everything taken away and then given back, it’s like the universe hit reset.’
‘There’s a proverb that says from crisis comes opportunity, and I think that’s what this is for me – a second chance to really decide what I want from life, to stop being so hard on myself, and just be grateful.’
While she doesn’t know when, or if, she’ll be able to return to the Barry’s red room, Alicia has immense gratitude for her community.
‘They remind me there’s a big hole there now that I’m not teaching.
‘Barry’s has been such a huge part of my life and identity. I don’t know what the future looks like yet, but I’m just thankful to still have one.’
