As told by his daughter, Shannon
In April 2024, my father, a retired police lieutenant, was diagnosed with duodenal cancer. He was unable to have the tumor removed and was undergoing chemotherapy.
In late August 2024, he started complaining about being dizzy and lightheaded. He went to his primary care provider who told him that his blood pressure was low and recommended that he slowly stop his blood pressure medications.
On September 9, 2024, he was admitted to the hospital initially for pneumonia because he was having shortness of breath in addition to swollen feet and ankles. Diagnostic tests performed on September 10, 2024, revealed a DVT and PE.
I talked to him the night before and called while he completed the diagnostic tests. He was supposed to call me back when he got back to his room, but he never did. He had collapsed and went through several rounds of cardiac arrest that day. He was placed on a ventilator, sedated, and transferred to ICU.
By the time I arrived at the hospital, he was doing well. An hour later, he went into cardiac arrest again, and they couldn’t bring him back. My father was gone and my life changed forever.
My father, a military veteran who worked security after his retirement, was a man of God and truly loved his family, fishing, and singing.
Throughout my grief, I have researched everything that I could about PE and cancer. That is how I stumbled across the NBCA. I was surprised to learn that DVT and PE are 4-7x greater in cancer patients than non-cancer patients.
Additionally, the risk is greater for cancer patients who have undergone chemotherapy and radiation. Furthermore, the risk is up to 60% greater in Blacks than whites, another health disparity amongst the Black population. Many cancer patients are not aware of the higher risk of DVT and PE. Studies show that 15% of outpatient cancer patients are not aware compared to 36% of inpatients.
This is one reason that I wanted to become a Thrombassador. In addition to honoring my father, I want to raise awareness in the community. I wish that I had known the symptoms so my father could have been diagnosed and treated sooner. We must be advocates for ourselves and our family members.
Resources
Blood Clots and Cancer
Black Americans’ Blood Clot Risk
Community Thrombassador Program
