Family focuses on awareness after daughter’s death from brain aneurysm

As family and friends of Austen Dunn work to increase awareness of the medical condition that unexpectedly took her young life two years ago, they’re comforted by others’ memories of her. The guestbook of her online obituary is filled with descriptions of the 23-year-old who graduated from the College of William & Mary in 2015. Melanie Bell called her a “bright and shining star,” and Kemp Pettyjohn said she was “one of the most kindhearted individuals” he’d ever met. Catherine Altman described Austen as “one of those students a teacher never forgets,” and Lisa Diskin said “the mark she made on humanity was amazing and will live on in those she loved.” The comments offer consolation to her parents, Gary and Stacy Horner–Dunn, and her brother, Rory, who live in Fredericksburg. But they also underscore the loss. Austen seemed completely fine, exercising daily and heating healthy foods. “She was just a really great kid,” said her father, barely able to get the words out. “That’s the hard thing.” It’s also the reason they’ve organized an event to raise money for research of brain aneurysms, a condition caused by a weakened wall of a blood vessel inside the brain. Blood bulges in a vessel, producing what looks like a berry on a stem. There typically aren’t any symptoms until the aneurysm ruptures, which can be fatal in four out of 10 cases, according to the Brain Aneurysm Foundation. More than half of those who survive will be left with disabilities. The Dunns were too distraught last September, on the first anniversary of their daughter’s death, to organize a local walk, but they raised $3,500 for a similar event in Richmond. This year, they decided to rally the many friends and co-workers who’ve supported them to create “Austen’s Communitas 5k Walk” […]

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