On September 16, a routine afternoon at a mall arcade turned into a medical emergency when Port of San Diego Harbor Police Officer Mitchell Collier had a seizure.
The Incident
The seizure occurred while Mitchell was with his two young sons after school. His wife, nurse Sheena Collier, received a call from him that sounded urgent. “It was Mitchell and he sounded like, you know, I felt like something was happening,” Sheena said. “He said, ‘Hey, I’m with the kids,’ and I thought, ‘OK?’ and that’s when another voice was in the background, and it was the fire captain. And he said, ‘I’m with your husband right now. He’s here at the mall. He had a seizure. He’s here with your children. Are you able to come here and be here?'”
Sheena rushed to the mall, and Mitchell was taken to Scripps Mercy Hospital. At that time, no one could explain why the seizure had happened.
Diagnosis and Treatment
After scans and imaging, doctors identified an arteriovenous malformation (AVM)-a tangled knot of vessels that disrupted normal blood flow to the brain. “It came out of nowhere. There was no indication. He didn’t feel dizzy,” Sheena said. “He didn’t do anything out of the ordinary that day.”
Because the AVM was large and located in a critical area, treatment was complex. Sheena explained, “We knew that it was going to take four to five, roughly, procedures for him to get treated.” Five separate surgeries followed, with the final operation removing the AVM. The recovery required intensive care.
“If a normal, everyday person were to see Mitchell, he looks like himself. He is very physically strong. He is very physically capable,” Sheena said. “But he’s had effects to his speech and communication.”
Rehabilitation and Support
Mitchell is now two weeks into a brain injury rehabilitation program at Scripps Encinitas Rehabilitation Services. The program focuses on strength, coordination, speech, and everyday tasks such as cooking. “It’s really a cool program. It’s very intensive. Our kids call it daddy school,” Sheena said.
Mitchell’s background as a Navy veteran and longtime San Diego resident shaped his sense of duty. He met Sheena at age 12, attended Morse High School together, and married after his naval service. They moved to Hawaii, where he joined the Kauai Police Department and had their first son. Returning home in 2018, he joined the Port of San Diego Harbor Police.
He wants to return to his role as a protector. “He’s always been a protector,” Sheena said. “He’s always been not only just physically strong, I think there’s just something, he feels he needs to watch over his loved ones and that translates to just watching over the people around him.”
Community support has been overwhelming. The Peace Officer Research Association of California (PORAC) launched a fundraising platform through the Fund a Hero initiative to help ease the financial burdens of medical bills, recovery, and Sheena’s time away from work. “I think he realizes that what he contributed to his family, his friends and his community is now just being reciprocated to him,” Sheena added.
Mitchell has received life-saving awards during his uniform service and has served as a field training officer with Harbor Police, mentoring the next generation of officers.
Key Takeaways
- A seizure on Sept. 16 revealed a hidden brain AVM, leading to five surgeries.
- Rehabilitation focuses on physical strength, coordination, speech, and daily living skills.
- Community fundraising and support aim to alleviate the family’s medical and financial burden.
Mitchell’s journey underscores the unpredictable nature of medical emergencies and the resilience of those who face them.
