7-Year-Old Geno Mueller Survives Brain-Clot Stroke After Emergency Surgery at Cleveland Clinic
Updated
Updated · abcnews.com · May 19
7-Year-Old Geno Mueller Survives Brain-Clot Stroke After Emergency Surgery at Cleveland Clinic
10 articles · Updated · abcnews.com · May 19
Geno Mueller, then 7, was rushed from an Ohio pool last July to Cleveland Clinic, where doctors performed emergency surgery to remove a clot from his brain after he showed stroke symptoms.
His father, Bo Mueller, spotted key warning signs—staggering, face drooping and right-arm weakness—and lifeguards called 911, a rapid response doctors said was crucial to limiting permanent damage.
Geno had been born with a heart defect and had already undergone a pacemaker implant and open-heart surgery, conditions that can raise stroke risk even though pediatric strokes are rare.
Now 8, Geno is back in school with no developmental delays, and his family is sharing his case during May's Stroke Awareness Month to stress that strokes can happen in children.
What are the hidden stroke risks for the millions of children born with heart defects?
How will new 2026 guidelines give more children access to the advanced stroke surgery that saved an 8-year-old boy?