Patient Stories

My name is Tim. I was born, raised, and still live in Salem, Arkansas. Salem is a small town with many people raising cattle. My dad always had a few heads of cattle and, growing up, I would get on calves trying to ride them. I grew older and started getting on young bulls until…

Can you be too young to experience blood clots? At 22 years old, I wasn’t, and neither are you! I have heard “you are too young” at every medical provider’s office, but blood clots do not discriminate. Trust me, because I’m a two-time survivor of pulmonary emboli, also known as PEs or blood clots in…

My name is Frank. Until recently, I had no idea what a pulmonary embolism (PE) was. I quickly found out, though, on July 1, 2020, when one tragically claimed the life of my wife Amy. Amy and I were together since 2001, and we were married in 2004. We have five beautiful children together. Most…

My name is Michele. I am a healthcare worker, mother, and recent survivor of venous thromboembolism (blood clots in the veins, which includes deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism). I am sharing my story to raise awareness, both on a general level as well as from the perspective of a healthcare worker. In January 2020,…

My story begins in February of this year when I felt a sharp, intense pain in my ribs. Assuming it was a pulled muscle from a workout the day before, I didn’t think anything of it. But by 4 a.m., the pain woke me up. I called the non-emergency services here in the United Kingdom,…

My name is Amber, and I am the mother of two children, a runner, and a nursing assistant. I lead a fairly active lifestyle. In August of 2019, I started birth control. I had previously been on birth control for several years before having my children, so I thought nothing of it when my doctor…

My name is Gina and I am a 32-year-old mom of three children. On March 23, 2020, I gave birth to my third child. My husband and I had made the decision he would be our last, so I signed the consent forms for a tubal ligation several months prior. March was the height of…

In December 2016, my life felt as full as it could get. I had six kids ranging in age from 1 year old to 12 years old, a busy freelance writing career, and involvement in various community organizations, including a parent advocacy group I had helped form a year before. Yet, my concept of “busy”…

My name is Layla, and I was a 22-year-old law school student at the time of my blood clot, and I also was working as a nanny for a wonderful family. I had been a cheerleader in middle and high school, and even though I didn’t continue going into college, I was still very active,…

On July 4, 2014, I was mixing pancake batter for my kids and their friends who had spent the night at our house. I felt excruciating pain in my chest. Every breath felt like I was being stabbed. I actually laid across my kitchen counter and tried to take shallow breaths. After about 20 seconds,…