NORMAL AND ABBY NORMAL: AUSTIN FORKNER'S BRAVE BATTLE

03/28/2025 01:00 PM

Dear MXperts,
I read on the internet that doctors removed Austin Forkner’s brain during his time on the sidelines this past season. I am almost certain that this is a clickbait story that has no foundation in anything but a “young Frankenstein” storyline. True or false?

It is a true story, but it was not crash-related—just a medical anomaly. Austin Forkner was diagnosed with arteriovenous malformation (AVM), which is an abnormal tangle of blood vessels that looks like a bird’s nest. The tangle is composed of arteries that would normally provide blood to your brain and veins that would normally drain blood from brain tissue. In a healthy brain, the exchange from arteries to veins is handled by small capillaries that bridge between the arteries and veins. If the capillaries are missing, arterial blood can connect directly to the veins, which aren’t used to the high blood pressure of arterial blood flow. This can result in a “brain bleed.”

There is an invasive surgery to fix the negative effects of arteriovenous malformation. In Austin’s case, it involved removing a portion of his skull via a craniotomy to access the frontal lobe to give the doctors access to the AVM. Then, with the help of a high-powered microscope, the surgeon seals off the AVM with special clips and carefully removes it from surrounding brain tissue. The surgeon then reattaches the skull bone and closes the incision in the scalp.

Recovery involves four to six weeks of reduced activity with the goal of avoiding elevated blood pressure. Some patients may need two or six months to fully recovery. Austin should not suffer any degradations in his motor skills, memory or balance.

Austin returned to racing in the 2025 AMA Supercross season for the Triumph team.

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