Sara Wassenaar
A Mother’s Warning (This Affects More Than Half of Us)
Support a mother’s fight for change.
On May 20, 2010, in a single instant, my entire world came crashing down. That’s when I learned that my only daughter, Anna, had died suddenly from an undiagnosed blood clot caused by birth control pills. She was just 23 years old and had her whole beautiful life ahead of her.
My name is Sara Wassenaar and I am the current Board Chair at NBCA. I am also a dentist, a volunteer, and a wife. But most importantly, I am a mother. And I will not stop fighting for Anna.
Her death was the result of an undiagnosed blood clot caused by birth control pills. If we had only known the risk factors and symptoms of blood clots sooner, maybe Anna’s life could have been saved.
I support NBCA because I will do everything in my power to help spread the word about the dangers of blood clots. I will continue to fight for Anna with a renewed resiliency every single day. Because no parent should have to suffer the loss of a child to a disease that is preventable and treatable if you know the signs.
By the time we learned that birth control pills increase a women’s risk of developing a blood clot by about three to four times, it was too late… And tragically, blood clots continue to kill an average of 8,494 Americans each month. Will you help us reach our goal of raising ONE DOLLAR for each of the lives lost to this disease?
Every dollar donated before May 31 toward the $8,494 goal will be matched 2:1 and TRIPLE the IMPACT of your donation! Let us know what inspired your support for our special page of dedications.
I hope you will consider making a gift of any amount to NBCA’s ✿For Every Day in May✿ campaign, in support of the thousands of beautiful lives like Anna’s that are being stolen each month by this preventable and treatable disease.
Together, change is possible. And together, we can save lives.
With deepest gratitude,
Sara Wassenaar, Board Chair
P.S. We only have 14 days left to reach our goal and every dollar counts! Can we count on you?
*Anna’s story has already saved the lives of several individuals who had similar symptoms and sought medical care for blood clots or testing for clotting disorders. Her story prompted them to seek care immediately for similar symptoms, and because of the impact of Anna’s story, lives were saved.
