Madelyn Ferriter: 19-year-old stroke survivor, now aspiring biomedical engineer

“I will never get tired of talking about it,” Maddy Ferriter, of Clarence said of her stroke. “It taught me that no one is ever too young to undergo any kind of medical event. I am living proof.”

On January 23, 2023, everything seemed normal as Maddy prepared for her AP Calculus midterm during her senior year of high school. Her teacher called for the students to get ready for the exams to be passed out, and as Maddy turned to the front of the room at her desk, her entire left side went numb. She tried to tell her friend sitting next to her that she was numb, but she didn’t understand. She called her teacher over, touching her face. “I can’t feel my whole left side,” she said. The teacher helped her out into the hall, and they decided to go to the nurse’s office.

During her final exams in June 2022, Maddy was experiencing severe migraines, so she had assumed she had a migraine from the stress of the exam. She called her father, and since she had been experiencing severe headaches the last couple of weeks, he called a local neurological center so that she could get some testing.

The brain MRI revealed the shocking truth: Maddy had suffered an ischemic stroke. Doctors hesitated to confirm it was a stroke, but the signs were all there. Since it was longer than four hours since the onset of her symptoms, the clot-busting drug to treat ischemic strokes would not be able to be used, and Maddy’s brain was on its own. Thankfully, she is young and otherwise healthy, so she was able to bounce back in a remarkable three days.

Her experience opened her eyes to the critical role of medical science. With no family history of strokes or blood diseases, Maddy was shocked to learn she had a patent foramen ovale (PFO), a common heart defect affecting about one in four people – a condition she had unknowingly lived with her entire life. The entire process was eye-opening. Maddy marveled at the science behind the procedures, from bubble studies to Doppler tests, all aimed at diagnosing her condition. It reinforced a powerful truth: health issues can happen to anyone at any time.

Once Maddy recovered, she was able to do all the things a high school senior looks forward to – senior sports, prom and graduation. Today, she is a biomedical engineering student at the University at Buffalo Honors College. She has always loved science, but her journey deepened her appreciation for the field of medicine. The technology and research that has made it possible to diagnose and treat conditions like Maddy’s impresses her every day. She is inspired to learn more and contribute to a field that has already changed her life for the better.

Maddy will share her story live on October 27 at Buffalo CycleNation. During the event, she will Ride the Revolution to represent her comeback story and honor all of those affected by stroke.

Visit CycleNation.org/Buffalo to join Maddy in the fight to eradicate stroke for all.