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He suffered a stroke at just 29 years old. Now, thanks to a breakthrough treatment, a Boston man is on track to take on his first marathon. “I stood up off the couch, and I immediately fell backwards, lost my balance,” Chris Jaquith said last year. He’d just undergone a groundbreaking procedure to close a hole in his heart, the first patient in the world to receive a new device that seals that tiny hole while allowing doctors access to the heart if needed. Just six months later, Jaquith said he feels fully recovered. “Everything’s gone perfectly. So, it’s been really, really lucky,” he said. “I just have a little different perspective on things and kind of the fragility of it all and a little more appreciation.”Jaquith is now showing his appreciation by lacing up for his first Boston Marathon. He’s raising money for Tufts Medical Center and raising awareness that strokes really can happen to anyone. That’s something his doctors said everyone needs to understand. “It’s just so important to get the message out there that because you’re young doesn’t mean you can’t have a stroke,” said Dr. Carey Kimmelstiel, director of interventional cardiology at Tufts. “If it looks like a stroke, don’t ignore that possibility just because you’re a healthy 25-year-old,” added Dr. David Thaler, a Tufts stroke neurologist. For Jaquith, this run will be a powerful step in his health journey. “There’s a lot of moments of doubt during recovery. Will this ever be the same? Will I ever be able to run the same?” he said. “This is kind of shutting the door on that doubt. Kind of my way of taking control back into my hands.”As for how he’ll feel crossing the finish line? “I think I’ll probably be a little emotional,” Jaquith said. “But I’m real excited, and that’s kind of the moment that this is all about for me.”
He suffered a stroke at just 29 years old. Now, thanks to a breakthrough treatment, a Boston man is on track to take on his first marathon.
“I stood up off the couch, and I immediately fell backwards, lost my balance,” Chris Jaquith said last year.
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He’d just undergone a groundbreaking procedure to close a hole in his heart, the first patient in the world to receive a new device that seals that tiny hole while allowing doctors access to the heart if needed.
Just six months later, Jaquith said he feels fully recovered.
“Everything’s gone perfectly. So, it’s been really, really lucky,” he said. “I just have a little different perspective on things and kind of the fragility of it all and a little more appreciation.”
Jaquith is now showing his appreciation by lacing up for his first Boston Marathon. He’s raising money for Tufts Medical Center and raising awareness that strokes really can happen to anyone.
That’s something his doctors said everyone needs to understand.
“It’s just so important to get the message out there that because you’re young doesn’t mean you can’t have a stroke,” said Dr. Carey Kimmelstiel, director of interventional cardiology at Tufts.
“If it looks like a stroke, don’t ignore that possibility just because you’re a healthy 25-year-old,” added Dr. David Thaler, a Tufts stroke neurologist.
For Jaquith, this run will be a powerful step in his health journey.
“There’s a lot of moments of doubt during recovery. Will this ever be the same? Will I ever be able to run the same?” he said. “This is kind of shutting the door on that doubt. Kind of my way of taking control back into my hands.”
As for how he’ll feel crossing the finish line?
“I think I’ll probably be a little emotional,” Jaquith said. “But I’m real excited, and that’s kind of the moment that this is all about for me.”
