Athlete

“It’s nothing,” I thought when I had lower back pain at the age of 19 followed by odd cramps in my quadriceps while working out. See a doctor? “No way,” I thought. “I will fight through this, I can tolerate pain and I will be fine.” I even wrote off feeling exhausted, thinking that I…

I have always heard it said, “pain is weakness leaving the body,” and as a Marine, I’ve always been one to push my limits, but nothing could prepare me for what was to come. I found enjoyment in long distance runs long after I completed my time in the Marine Corps and trained for marathons.…

My name is Dan Jensen. I am 42 years old, and, until a rare blood clot stopped me in my tracks, I had considered myself somewhat invincible. That last statement deserves some qualification. I have always considered myself to be medically lucky. Cancer does not run in either side of my family, my grandparents lived…

This January, Paul should be celebrating his 22nd birthday and preparing to finish his senior year of college in May, at the University at Buffalo, with a degree in Civil Engineering. Instead, we are celebrating his short life and bringing awareness to others about blood clots. We wish we would have known the symptoms of…

As U.S. Army Master Fitness Trainer, I was use to physically challenging my body. So it was not unusual, when in August of 2002 I shrugged off a sharp pain in the calf of my leg – a pain that had jolted me from a restful morning sleep. “What is it,” I thought, and quickly…

My name is Lisa Nelson and I am 35 years old. I happened to run across the listing for the annual Austin Stop The Clot race on the calendar page from RunTex and was disappointed it was coming up so soon. I couldn’t possibly still sign up, but more importantly: Am I up for a…

Manu Ajamu Williams was born in Chicago, Illinois, on October 14, 1977. Affectionately known as “Shaq,” he was always the life of the party and had a wide assortment of friends. Shaq stood tall at 6 feet 3 inches, and weighing in at 300 pounds he was all muscle.  He had beautiful honey-brown eyes that…

I recently had my first encounter with blood clots. I was a rugby player who suffered many blows from both tackling and being tackled. After one particular blow to the stomach, I started having really bad pain in the small of my back, but assumed I had only pulled a muscle. A month later, I…

I am sharing my son Kyle’s story for two reasons: To bring awareness to how children are affected by blood clots and in hope of finding others who may suffer from similar conditions. In August of 2010, my son was eight years old, healthy, and extremely active, playing baseball, football and hockey.  That summer he had…

My name is Jessica and I’m so excited to share my experience with Team Stop the Clot. Less than a year ago I was sitting in a hospital bed thinking my life as an athlete was over. My pity party came to an end when I found this blog. Reading all of the Clot Buster…