Grit and gratitude
Mark Friesen is rebuilding his life after stroke, one swing at a time
Mark Friesen was living life at full speed when a sudden stroke brought everything to a halt. Thanks to groundbreaking treatment, family support and ongoing therapies, he’s making strides in his recovery.
Golf is one of Mark’s many passions.
“Every small step forward matters more than you think.” — Mark
Mark loves the thrill of dirt biking.
At 55, Mark Friesen was a healthy and active executive who loved playing golf and riding his dirt bike. Just two days after returning from a business trip to South Korea and Thailand, he was outside trimming trees in his front yard. He paused for a quiet moment with his wife, Quinn, and son, Alex — and then everything changed.
“I had a stroke,” Mark recalls. “In that instant, everything was different. I couldn’t speak. Not even my name or my birth date. It was terrifying.”
Mark was rushed to Vancouver General Hospital. He had a hole between the chambers of his heart, called patent foramen ovale (PFO). The doctors discovered that a blood clot had slipped through the opening and travelled to his brain, triggering an ischemic stroke. They acted quickly, performing endovascular treatment (EVT) to restore blood flow.
A year later, Mark underwent a successful procedure to close the hole in his heart, eliminating the risk of future clots reaching his brain. But the stroke left him with aphasia — a language disorder that affects his ability to speak. It’s a daily challenge. Quinn often helps him formulate thoughts and complete sentences. Their love and support for each other have been vital in helping John adapt to this new reality.
“It’s stressful,” Mark says. “Speech therapy has helped me communicate better, but it’s still hard.”
Despite the hurdles, Mark’s recovery has been defined by his determination to do the things he loves again. He’s back on the golf course — though he jokes, “My slice is to the left and to the right. It’s different.” And he’s back on his dirt bike. “I’m still swinging my clubs and feeling the wind, and that makes me happy.”
Although his right hand and foot aren’t as strong as they used to be, Mark is still moving forward. “Getting healthy doesn’t happen all at once,” he says. “It happens moment by moment, step by step. Just keep showing up. Every small step forward matters more than you think.”
Watch Mark talk about doing what he loves while recovering from his stroke.
Mark and Quinn recently had the opportunity to thank Dr. Michael Hill — one of the researchers behind EVT — as part of a moving Heart & Stroke campaign video.
“I’m still here. I’m still healing. I’m so grateful,” says Mark.
- See the researchers working on more life-saving breakthroughs
- Learn more about stroke research and recovery
- See how EVT is changing outcomes for people living with stroke
Taking on impossible strokes
Dr. Michael Hill, a professor of neurology, took on the most severe forms of stroke — once believed to be untreatable. Thanks to the advances he and his team made in endovascular treatment (EVT), an ischemic stroke in 2025 doesn’t automatically lead to death or the loss of independence. Today, many people living with stroke can return to work, stay active and share in meaningful milestones with the ones they love.
After Donald had a stroke at 26, a treatment breakthrough helped him reclaim his independence.
Melissa was 28 when she had a stroke. Thanks to advances in research, she finished university and got a job in her dream field.
John’s wish to walk his daughter down the aisle came true, thanks to a revolutionary stroke treatment.
EVT let Natalie write new life chapters — publishing a children's book, teaching, and watching her daughter graduate.
Mark is swinging his clubs on the golf course and dirt biking on the trails again, after groundbreaking stroke treatment.
Following advanced stroke treatment, Amanda’s greatest recovery milestone wasn’t physical — it was seeing her children and knowing who they were again.
