--- description: A 17-year-old boy in Mexico City has reportedly died after a hickey he received from his girlfriend caused a stroke. title: 17-Year-Old Dies After Hickey From Girlfriend Causes Stroke image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf58f4749447ddc55/6988a415e20a873393a92329/emergency.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 17-Year-Old Dies After Hickey From Girlfriend Causes Stroke  by [Melissa Chan](/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 29, 2016 7:06 PM CUT  Ambulance sitting behind ER sign Ambulance sitting behind ER signGetty Images  by [Melissa Chan](/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 29, 2016 7:06 PM CUT A 17-year-old boy in Mexico City has [reportedly died](http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/teenager-dies-love-bite-from-girlfriend-causes-stroke-julio-macias-gonzalez-mexico-city-a7215171.html "undefined") after a hickey he received from his girlfriend caused a stroke. Doctors believe the suction of the hickey—or love bite—resulted in a blood clot, which traveled to [Julio Macias Gonzalez](https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/1685941/teen-dies-of-stroke-after-love-bite-from-his-girlfriend-causes-blood-clot-to-the-brain/ "undefined")’s brain and caused a stroke, the _Independent_ and [local Mexican media reported](http://www.hoyestado.com/2016/08/joven-de-17-muere-por-culpa-de-un-c "undefined"). The teenager had convulsions while eating dinner with his family after hanging out with his 24-year-old girlfriend and later died, the newspaper said. This is at least the second reported incident of a hickey causing a stroke. A hickey had caused a 44-year-old New Zealand woman to have a non-fatal stroke, according to a 2010 [study](https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/read-the-journal/all-issues/2010-2019/2010/vol-123-no-1326/cc-wu "undefined") published in the New Zealand _Medical Journal_. Researchers at the time called the medical condition “a rare phenomenon.” \[[_Independent_](http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/teenager-dies-love-bite-from-girlfriend-causes-stroke-julio-macias-gonzalez-mexico-city-a7215171.html "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4471274/teenager-dies-hickey-love-bite/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4471274/teenager-dies-hickey-love-bite/"},"headline":"17-Year-Old Dies After Hickey From Girlfriend Causes Stroke","datePublished":"2016-08-29T19:06:32.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:35:59.774Z","description":"The hickey — or love bite — caused a blood clot, which traveled to his brain","url":"https://time.com/4471274/teenager-dies-hickey-love-bite/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Bizarre","Mexico","health"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf58f4749447ddc55/6988a415e20a873393a92329/emergency.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Chan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf58f4749447ddc55/6988a415e20a873393a92329/emergency.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Emergency Room","caption":"Emergency Room","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4471274/teenager-dies-hickey-love-bite/","name":"17-Year-Old Dies After Hickey From Girlfriend Causes Stroke"}}]}] ```