Patient Stories
Birth Control Caused a Blood Clot in My Lung: Lucy’s Story
My name is Lucy, and I am 22 years old. I had DVT (deep vein thrombosis or blood clot in the leg) and PEs (pulmonary embolism or blood clots in the lung) due to estrogen-based contraception. I am sharing my story to raise awareness about the risks of estrogen-based birth control in women of my…
Cancer is a Risk Factor for Blood Clots: In Memory of Jon Charles Shain, as Told by His Wife Kathy
I am writing this story in memory of my husband, Jon Charles Shain, who passed away due to blood clots on January 26, 2019. Jon’s risk for getting a blood clot was high, but unfortunately, he did not realize it. Jon was being treated for prostate cancer for several years. Cancer is a risk factor…
Knowing Blood Clot Signs & Symptoms Makes A Difference: Sylvia’s Story
In May 2015, I was wrapping up a day at work. I was short of breath and coughing badly. I told my husband to take me to the emergency room (ER) because I had been dealing with it for a week, and I was running out of my asthma medication. I went to the ER…
Climbing to New Heights: Wes’ Story
In February of 2017, a friend challenged me to climb Mount St. Helens in August. At the time, I figured this was an easily attainable goal and we signed up. April came and I noticed some soreness in my right calf. During my lunch breaks I would climb the stairwell at work (16 floors), and…
Grateful for Every Second: Caitlyn’s Story
No one can predict what medical issues they will have to overcome in their lives. I never thought that I would come face to face with a serious condition, like deep vein thrombosis, when I was 16 years old. It is what happened to me, though, and I feel extremely passionate about raising awareness, because…
Every Day, Life is a Gift: Kimberly’s Story
My pulmonary embolism story began when I had surgery in May of 2018. I went in for a laparoscopic hysterectomy and I was released from the hospital that same day. I didn’t realize that I was at risk for a blood clot due to the type of surgery I was having, as well as being age 49…
Being Your Own Advocate Could Save Your Life: Tiffany’s Story
For my college graduation trip, I went to Hawaii with my family. After our red eye flight back to LAX, I got up out of my seat and had severe calf pain in my left leg. I attributed it to running and didn’t think much of it. The next day, it was still bothering me,…
Blood Clots Were My Greatest Fear: Ashlee’s Story
I was 29 years old when I was first diagnosed with blood clots. I dropped a bench on my right foot and about a week later, I started to feel pain in my right ankle and knee. I went to see my doctor about two weeks after the pain started, because it wasn’t going away,…
Listen to Your Body, Your Life is Worth It: Jeri’s Story
Postscript: March 2021 Update After recovery following my first blood clot, I thought it was all finally over. After suffering a debilitating stroke due to a blood clot in 2018, it never occurred to me that I could have another blood clot while on a blood thinner. Luckily, this time I knew the signs. Eighteen…
The Perfect Provoked Storm: Jessica’s Story
I have never been “normal” when it comes to my health as a young adult. For 10 years, I struggled with severe stomach and esophagus problems. I developed an allergy to the medication that treats the conditions in my esophagus. So, this year, my health finally ran out of options. It wasn’t until April 2018…
