John Penn, May 2024
Stroke survivor — patient of Dr. David Fiorella and Dr. Michael Guido
John Penn considers himself a dog person. But given his health history, his younger brother Steve will tell you that John is more like a cat with nine lives. John has already survived meningitis, aortic stenosis regurgitation, a serious automobile collision caused by a drunk driver, and kidney cancer. As if all that weren’t enough, on May 7, 2024, John also survived a severe stroke.
It was already 10:30 pm when John arrived home from work after a long day and a two-hour commute from Manhattan. John and his wife Laura sat down on the sofa to catch up, relax and unwind with their two small dogs. Then suddenly, John slipped off the sofa without a word. Because John often played on the floor with their dogs, Laura first wondered if some spontaneous wrestling fun was about to take place. But when she saw John struggling to get back up, she became frightened and asked if he was okay. When her plea to him to stand up went unanswered, she knew this was no joking matter.
Laura immediately called 9-1-1 and described John’s symptoms to the dispatcher. Local first responders from the Centereach Fire Department arrived within minutes. They assessed John’s condition and told Laura that they suspected a stroke. They also told her they would be taking John to Stony Brook University Hospital. The Comprehensive Stroke Center team at Stony Brook had already been alerted and was assembled and ready to take immediate action upon John’s arrival.
John’s stroke, which had affected his ability to communicate or use his dominant right side, was caused by a large clot in his brain known as a left middle cerebral artery occlusion. Dr. David Fiorella, a neurointerventionalist, removed the large blood clot by performing a minimally invasive procedure called a mechanical thrombectomy. And in less than 15 minutes, John’s blood flow quickly returned to normal. Soon after, so did his speech and ability to move his right side. John can’t thank Dr. Fiorella enough for saving his life. He also had high praise for neuro-critical care nurse, Margarita Rodriguez, for her attentive post-care after the mechanical thrombectomy. Just two days later, on May 9th, John was discharged from the hospital. By Monday, May 13th, he was working from home. And by June, John was back commuting to the city. A few weeks later, at his follow-up visit with stroke neurologist, Dr. Michael Guido, John learned that he’d had not just one stroke, but two strokes that fateful night in May.
While John’s younger brother continues to tease him about being a cat with nine lives, John and Laura know that wouldn’t be the case without what they now call their “guardian angels” at Stony Brook.
