I’m sharing my sister Lauren’s story. She passed away from a pulmonary embolism at 39 weeks pregnant in October of 2021.
She was days from her due date when she began to feel short of breath. She talked to her doctor and they were not concerned because she had no family history and no risk factors besides pregnancy.
She went into cardiac arrest and was rushed to the hospital. My nephew, her son, was born via emergency C-section. By a true miracle, doctors were able to save my nephew despite him being born without a pulse.
They also stabilized my sister, but she had endured too much brain damage from a lack of oxygen and we had to make the difficult decision to take her off life support. She was only 32 years old and left behind a husband and newborn son.
It has completely changed our family’s outlook on life and health. We saw how life can changed in an instant and even “healthy” people can get a clot. I never knew pregnancy could be so risky. I now share this information with the women in my life.
My advice to others is to ask your doctor about signs and symptoms of blood clots if you have any risk factors, especially pregnancy.
Resources
Women and Blood Clots
Blood Clots and Pregnancy
Signs and Symptoms of Blood Clots
