Patient Stories
Our Family Has a Void That Will Never Be Filled: Blake’s Story
In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving 2018, Blake was experiencing pain in his right leg, which he attributed to a pulled muscle. On Thanksgiving, he seemed to have mild cold symptoms and a slight limp. We discussed that he should go to the doctor if he didn’t feel better soon. That was the last…
Make Sure You Ask Questions Before Ingesting Prescribed Medications: Riddhi’s Story
I suffer from severe polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and irregular cycles. My doctor prescribed birth control pills to regulate my cycle back in December 2021. I often felt cramps in my left leg, but I attributed them to dehydration or fatigue, given that I was a 20-year-old college student at the time. However, after my…
With Gratitude, Optimism is Sustainable: Todd’s Story
In 2011, I suffered the first of seven blood clots. This was the start of my new life and a wake-up call heard loud and clear. Little did I know during in the early days about the connection that would surface dating back to the day I lost my only parent, my mother, to a…
Don’t Ignore Symptoms of a Blood Clot: Marvin’s Story
In 2017, I was having redness, warmth, pain, and heaviness in my right leg. I was 17 at the time and I had just begun my senior year in high school a few weeks before. I was in school when I first saw that my leg was red, and I made a mistake by not…
UPDATE – Thrombosis Has Deeply Impacted My Family: Gerry’s Story
In February 2023, Gerry shared his family’s serious challenges with blood clots. He’s now updating it to reflect significant new results from the genetic research project his family is doing with Yale Smilow Cancer Center. Gerry’s presented his family’s story to five Senate/House committee staff as part of Capitol Hill Day on March 6, 2024…
Life is a Gift and it’s Fragile: Cara’s Story
I was in my early 30s and enjoying life as a new mom, but I had been having a rough time for nine weeks, experiencing severe headaches and aphasia. I was worked up by a neurologist thoroughly and had all kinds of tests and scans — an MRI, MRA, an EEG — and everything was…
Listen To Your Body: Mariah’s Story
I was 25 when I was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis and a pulmonary embolism. When I first noticed something was abnormal I was getting off from work and I saw significant swelling in my leg below the knee to the tip of my toes. My calf was so large that my pants were too…
This Experience Helped Me Find My Love For Medicine: Zoe’s Story
Three days after my 18th birthday, I experienced severe swelling in my left leg. I assumed I pulled a muscle as I went ice skating on my birthday, but that soon changed. I went to school as normal and my teachers and friends noticed that my leg was purple and three times the size of…
Paramedics Assumed It Was Anxiety: Christina’s Story
As told by her mother, Darla My daughter, Christina, suffered a broken foot on January 6, 2015, just two weeks after her 30th birthday. The podiatrist put her in a walking boot and gave no restrictions. Christina then developed calf pain and went to the ER on January 10, 2015. The ER sent her home…
Do Not Ignore Anything, Even if You Feel Like it’s Nothing: Eilidh’s Story
A few days before my collapse, I felt a little out of breath when moving around. However, I had just got back from travelling around Thailand and I also had a sore throat, so I assumed I was just a little run down. I was wrong. On March 22, 2023, I walked down the stairs…
