A man who was considered to be healthy almost died after sneezing so hard that he ruptured an artery in his neck.
Ian Applegate, 35, was in his car with his wife and son, four, when he started to sneeze really hard.
After the third sneeze, the father-of-one started to become light headed and was suffering pins and needles on his left side.
Without realising, that last sneeze caused a tear to the inner lining of his vertebral artery and a blockage to his brain, which led to a stroke.
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"Vertebral artery dissection occurs when a tear forms in one of the blood vessels running up the back of your neck. On rare occasions, this can lead to stroke," the Cleveland Clinic states.
Ian was taken to the Dominican Hospital in California, and was immediately put on blood-thinning medication to prevent further clots.
The engineer from Santa Cruz has been kept in the hospital to recover, while his wife Jennifer is expecting a second baby in April.
"It was my first day back at work after being ill with the flu all week," Ian said.
"After work, I went to go take care of our horses. I was in the truck and had just put our four-year-old into the car seat.
"I had just started the car and was getting ready to drive. I sneezed three times, then the third time it caused this blinding headache and made everything spin.
"That was when my whole body started getting pins and needles on my left side.
"The whole left side of my body had gone numb, I knew I was having a stroke. The pain was excruciating. I was very disoriented and throwing up."
The future father-of-two, who remains in hospital, still needs help walking due to constant weakness on his left side.
He added: "It was a pretty hard sneeze but I've never experienced anything like this in my life. I never thought this was possible.
"I'm scared to sneeze now. My wife is eight months pregnant and I want to be there for the delivery.
"I can tell I'm going to struggle to take care of myself and the baby.
"I just want to be home in time for the baby's birth. I'm trying to stay positive and continue my exercises until I get better."
Ian's sister, Vanessa Applegate, has started a GoFundMe page to help pay for any medical costs outside of health insurance and time off work.
If you would like to donate, please click on the following link - GoFundMe
Anish Vij