# Healthy Boston runner Patrick Mascoli suffers sudden stroke at 27 as doctors discover possible cause

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/healthy-boston-runner-patrick-mascoli-suffers-sudden-stroke-at-27-as-doctors-discover-possible-cause/
- Published: 2026-11-15T10:21:24+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-15T11:36:08+00:00
- Original publisher: New York Post (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://nypost.com/2026/11/15/health/healthy-boston-runner-patrick-mascoli-suffers-sudden-stroke-at-27-as-doctors-discover-possible-cause/
- Topics: World

## Key points

- A healthy 27-year-old runner suffered a stroke.
- Initial treatment for dehydration and vertigo did not help.
- Doctors suspect a heart opening may have let a clot reach his brain.

## Summary

Patrick Mascoli, a fit 27-year-old Boston engineer, suffered a stroke after a 10-mile run and gym session in July 2024. His experience highlights that strokes can affect young, healthy people and may be mistaken for other problems, delaying diagnosis.

Mascoli developed severe head pain, blurred vision, vomiting and loss of control over his legs. First responders initially suspected dehydration and clinicians considered vertigo, but a CT scan and MRI at Boston Medical Center confirmed a stroke; he spent several days in hospital and gradually relearned to walk with a walker. Tests found a patent foramen ovale, an opening between the heart’s upper chambers that may have allowed a clot to reach his brain, though doctors could not establish why the clot formed.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.