Florida Teacher Survives Massive Stroke, Rides 100 Miles After PFO Closure
Updated
Updated · Yahoo Lifestyle UK · Aug 23
Florida Teacher Survives Massive Stroke, Rides 100 Miles After PFO Closure
3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Lifestyle UK · Aug 23
Summary
Aug. 8, 2025, left Todd Meiklejohn partially paralyzed and blind in one eye at home, but he left a Florida hospital in under 48 hours after emergency treatment.
Just 38 minutes after his wife called 911, doctors performed a mechanical thrombectomy to remove the clot, restoring blood flow before major permanent brain damage set in.
Scans later found a patent foramen ovale, or PFO — a small opening in the heart that let a clot reach his brain — and doctors closed it with a minimally invasive procedure.
Four weeks later, Meiklejohn returned to teaching, and two months after the stroke he completed a 100-mile bike ride, though he still monitors blood pressure and heart rate.