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As stroke rates continue to rise among young adults, a Boston man shares his experience of a life-threatening event at just 27 years old.
Patrick Mascoli, an engineer and fitness enthusiast, was regularly running 40 miles a week at the time of his medical emergency. Beyond a history of migraines, there were no obvious symptoms or warning signs, he shared with Fox News Digital.
One Sunday in July 2024, Mascoli went for a 10-mile run and hit the gym for a lifting session. As he changed alone in the locker room, something didn’t feel right.
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“It was like a bomb had gone off on my head,” he shared with Fox News Digital. “The right side of my brain felt like a severe burning sensation, a lot of pain. And it came out of nowhere.”
At first, Mascoli assumed it was related to blood pressure-related fainting episodes he had when he was younger, but then his vision became blurrier and the pain intensified.
Patrick Mascoli, pictured left with his father after his life-threatening stroke at just 27 years old in 2024, competed in the Chicago Marathon (right) in October 2026. (Patrick Mascoli)
“It wasn’t something I had experienced before,” he said.
When Mascoli tried to stand up and take a step forward, his leg shifted to the right, sending him into the wall.
“No matter what I told my body, it just wasn’t working,” he said. “My legs were going in completely opposite directions than I wanted. And my vision was completely messed up.”
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Mascoli managed to text his sister before collapsing again. As his sister drove to the gym, he lay on the ground, vomiting repeatedly, unable to control his legs and having trouble seeing.
A stroke briefly crossed his mind, he said, but his age and physical condition caused him to ignore it.
“I thought a stroke was something that happened to someone who was elderly or had other pre-existing conditions,” Mascoli said. “And in my mind, I’m like, ‘I don’t fit that.'”
In October 2026, Mascoli completed the Chicago Marathon as part of Team Abbott, the company that made his heart implant. He is pictured on the right with his girlfriend, Christine Bonarrigo. (Patrick Mascoli)
When his sister arrived, she found Mascoli on the gym bathroom floor, drenched in sweat, and called 911.
First responders initially suspected dehydration because Mascoli was young, appeared healthy and had just been running in the heat. He was given IV fluids, but there was no improvement, he shared. Clinicians also treated him for suspected dizziness, but this did not relieve the symptoms.
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Clinicians at Boston Medical Center then identified the stroke on a CT scan and confirmed it with an MRI, according to Mascoli.
By the next morning, Mascoli’s head pain had eased, but he still had significant movement problems, particularly on his right side, which he described as “completely useless.”
“No matter what I told my body, it just wasn’t working.”
He spent a few days in the hospital, during which he slowly started walking again with the help of a walker.
The diagnosis left Mascoli worried about his future. “It was very shocking and terrifying,” he said.
Looking for answers
Once the stroke was identified, Mascoli’s care team investigated possible causes. He underwent extensive blood tests to detect clotting disorders and other conditions, with no clear answers.
A heart ultrasound using tiny bubbles injected into a vein revealed a patent foramen ovale (PFO) – an opening between the upper chambers of the heart that normally closes shortly after birth.
“In most people, it closes shortly after birth — but in others, it doesn’t close completely,” Dr. Dheeraj Khurana, chief of cardiology at Episcopal Health Services of New York, told Fox News Digital. Khurana did not treat Mascoli.
“In rare cases, a blood clot passes through this opening, travels to the brain and causes a stroke,” Khurana explained.
Mascoli’s doctors considered this opening to be the likely route by which a clot reached his brain.
Mascoli is pictured with the entire Abbott running team ahead of the Chicago Marathon. (Patrick Mascoli)
Most people who have had the opening experience no related health problems, according to the American Stroke Association.
In young stroke patients who don’t have common risk factors and whose initial tests reveal no clear cause, doctors can look for a PFO using an ultrasound of the heart called an echocardiogram, Khurana said.
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Mascoli has lingering uncertainty about why a clot formed in the first place.
“I had no genetic predisposition to it. I didn’t have any clear physical problem that caused it. So it’s a bit of a mystery,” he said.
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About a month after the stroke, Mascoli underwent a catheter procedure to close the opening to his heart, using an Abbott device that looked like a double-sided mesh umbrella.
He said his cardiologist’s reassurance that the suspected pathway had been addressed helped ease his fears.
Although his mobility has improved with therapy, Mascoli said he still has persistent difficulties with fine motor skills. “I’ve been very hard on myself and I always get upset if my hands shake and my handwriting looks bad.”
Source of motivation
Returning to running brought its own anxiety. Before the stroke, Mascoli said he ran miles without tracking his distance, but afterward he feared getting stuck.
“I need to know how far I’m going because I don’t want to be too far away and something happens,” he recalls.
During his recovery, Mascoli’s girlfriend gave him a fitness watch and encouraged him to take up running.
“It was something that motivated me, because I knew it helped me physically and mentally,” he said.
According to the American Stroke Association, anyone experiencing sudden loss of balance, vision changes, face drooping, arm weakness or difficulty speaking should call 911 immediately, regardless of age or fitness level. (iStock)
In October 2026, Mascoli completed the Chicago Marathon as part of Team Abbott, representing the company that made his heart implant.
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After he finished, he listened to an emotional voice message from his sister, who had helped save him at the gym.
“She’s the one who saved me, so that meant a lot to me,” he said.
Factors that may increase the risk of stroke in young adults include high blood pressure, smoking, unhealthy cholesterol levels, clotting disorders, certain heart diseases, and tears in the arteries supplying blood to the brain. (iStock)
To others who have experienced health emergencies, Mascoli urged them to be patient with themselves and not let the traumatic event define them, emphasizing that recovery is different for everyone.
“Take as many measurements as possible,” he said. “Maybe it’s not about running a marathon. It doesn’t have to be such a big thing.”
Risks, symptoms and prevention
Factors that may increase the risk of stroke in young adults include high blood pressure, smoking, unhealthy cholesterol levels, clotting disorders, certain heart diseases and tears in the arteries supplying blood to the brain, Khurana said.
“Young adults with stroke may experience dizziness, altered mental status, vomiting and headaches, which they can easily mistake for exhaustion, especially after exercise or a migraine,” he told Fox News Digital.
“I had no genetic predisposition to it. I had no clear physical problem that caused it.”
“Other common symptoms include visual disturbances, speech problems, weakness, lethargy or seizures.”
Dr. Sean Levchuck, chairman of pediatric cardiology at St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center in New York, shared some general best practices for young adults to help prevent a first stroke.
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“Active young adults should stay active and exercise. After strenuous activity, fluid replacement is necessary,” he advised.
The cardiologist also recommends avoiding smoking and tobacco products.
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According to the American Stroke Association, anyone experiencing sudden loss of balance, vision changes, face drooping, arm weakness or difficulty speaking should call 911 immediately, regardless of age or fitness level.
Gn Health
