Patient Stories

I was diagnosed with the genetic clotting disorder factor V Leiden when I was 15 years old. My aunty (my dad’s sister) had a blood clot during pregnancy and she learned she had FVL, which led to members of my family, including me, being tested for it too. While growing up, FVL never had any…

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,…