Boyfriend's gut instinct saves girlfriend who first thought her leg was just acting weird

When 18-year-old Katie Rangel noticed sudden weakness in her right leg, she assumed it was nothing serious. But her boyfriend urged her to get help — a decision that stopped a stroke in progress and made it possible for her to attend her senior prom just two weeks later. In an interview with CBS News Texas, Rangel explained that the symptoms began shortly before graduation. "It was just my right leg weakness; it started getting numb, and I couldn't balance myself." While she brushed it off, her boyfriend was agitated. "He was just saying, 'Should I call 911?'" she said. She agreed, and that decision proved critical. "I just remember going into the ambulance, and then I think I just kind of blinked out," she said.

On the way to the hospital, Rangel had a seizure. Once she arrived, doctors determined she was having a stroke, and her parents met her there, fearing the worst. "It was really scary and emotional. I didn't know what she was going through at the time, but what was going through my mind was, 'My normal child. Will she be normal again?'" her father told CBS. Dr. Abdul Quadeer, the interventional radiologist who treated her, said a blood clot had traveled from her leg through a previously undetected hole in her heart, reaching the left side of her brain. "We got our device to the blockage. Luckily, the clot came right out within less than ten minutes," he said.

According to Dr. Quadeer, Rangel's timing was critical. "Luckily, she came to the E.R., because if she hadn't come to us, she'd probably be disabled right now." While strokes are still more common in older adults, they are becoming increasingly frequent in younger age groups. In the US, the prevalence of stroke among adults aged 18 to 44 rose by nearly 15% in the last decade, according to a report from the CDC. Between 1993 and 2015, ischemic stroke incidence among adults aged 20 to 44 increased from 17 to 28 cases per 100,000. Today, roughly 10–15% of all strokes occur in people under 50. Experts have linked the trend to rising rates of high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and clotting disorders in younger populations.

Two weeks after the emergency, Rangel attended prom with the same boyfriend who had pushed her to call for help. "I was on the dance floor almost the whole night, and it was just... it was really fun," she said. Later, she returned to the hospital to thank the doctors and nurses who had treated her. "I could have probably lost more dead tissue in my brain, and I was thankful because I can speak better, I can walk, and balance." Her mother also showed gratitude towards the medical team, saying, "What they do day to day... it saves lives."

Now holding a diploma, Rangel has decided to become a nurse. "Just because everyone was so nice, I just was like, I feel like I would be great at this job," she said. Doctors used her story to raise awareness of stroke symptoms, which can include facial asymmetry, difficulty moving arms or legs, and speech disruptions. They emphasized that recognizing signs early and going to the hospital immediately can make all the difference.