Geno’s story began with uncertainty. At Adrienne’s 20-week ultrasound, doctors discovered their unborn son had a condition called hydrops — a buildup of fluid in the fetus — along with a congenital heart block.
“They said there was sort of a five to 10% chance that he survived to delivery,” Adrienne said.
The pregnancy itself was already a surprise. Bo and Adrienne’s older two sons, Archie and Bernie, joined the family through adoption; the couple didn’t think they’d have a biological child.
“He has been a surprise and a miracle from the very beginning,” Adrienne said.
Geno defied the odds and was born — but his health journey was only beginning. He spent five months in the NICU. He’s since had two open-heart surgeries to repair his mitral valve, and has relied on a pacemaker since he was three months old.
Days after his first heart surgery, at age three, Geno had his first stroke. It happened at home.
“It happened a couple days after we had been released from the hospital. It happened here in this kitchen,” Adrienne said. Doctors later connected it to the surgery and time spent on the bypass machine.
Geno recovered. Years passed without incident. In fact, just days before this past June, his cardiologist told the family his most recent echocardiogram was the best she’d ever seen.
“We met with this cardiologist and she said this is the best echocardiogram he’d ever had,” Bo said.
An ordinary day at the pool
On June 29, 2025, the Mueller family was doing what most families do on a summer afternoon — spending the day at the Avon Lake Pool. Bo had brought Geno and his brothers while Adrienne visited family. As the boys headed back into the water after a break, Bo noticed something wasn’t right.
“I noticed he was staggering and he was trying to put his goggles on. He likes to wear goggles,” Bo said. He assumed it was just the wake of other kids in the pool — until he got a closer look.
“That’s when I noticed that his face was drooping and like all the color in his face was gone,” Bo said.
He knew immediately.
“I just knew right away he was having a stroke.”
Bo scooped Geno up and ran for help. The teenage lifeguards at Avon Lake Pool jumped into action.
“We called 911, the teenage lifeguards at Avon Lake Pool — like I can’t speak highly enough of them, like they were, they were on it,” Bo said.
From the moment Bo first noticed something wrong to arriving at the emergency room, roughly eight minutes had passed.
