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The Day that Changed My Life: Philip’s Story 

My name is Philip Begley, I am 56 years old, and I live in England. My story began on November 22, 1999. My truck was in for MOT annual service, so my boss said to start work late the next day. The next day came, Tuesday, and I was sitting down, putting my boots on…

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My Baby Had a CVST: Ivanna and Giovanna’s Story

My name is Giovanna, and I am the mother of baby Ivanna. We are from Mexico, and I want you to share our story. My family has a history of genetic thrombophilia – I had three DVTs in my right leg – but doctors said that we didn’t have to worry about our baby, because…

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A DVT in My Arm Changed My Life: Hailey’s Story

My name is Hailey Rutherford and I am a 23 years old. My story is complicated. I was married last year on February 7 and experienced a lot of life changes. One of those changes was being put on birth control pills. Due to irregular menstrual bleeding, I was switched to a stronger dosage pill. On…

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This Has Changed Me Forever: Scarlett’s Story

When I was 14 years old, my father died at age 41 of massive pulmonary emboli (PE). At that time, there was no genetic testing to determine if he had a clotting disorder. I am 49 years old now, and I survived bilateral pulmonary emboli (PE) with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) one year ago. I…

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Increasing Awareness of Factor V Leiden: Elizabeth Varga’s Story

I discovered that I was heterozygous for the factor V Leiden mutation in June of 2000 after my mother tested positive during a workup for superficial thrombophlebitis. My primary care physician recommended that I be tested, since I was taking oral contraceptive pills. She also had a friend who had been recently diagnosed with factor…

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Pregnant Women Are at Risk: In Memory of Katie

JUST LISTEN… If you are pregnant, you ARE at risk for DVT. Katiesvoice.org is dedicated to the memory of Katie M. Projansky (Anderson) and the promise of preventing DVT/PE related deaths in pregnancy. Katie’s Voice is an example of how the seeds of personal tragedy can blossom into great hope and possibility. It was five…

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Grateful For My Knowledge of Factor V Leiden: Lori Preston’s Story

Lori Preston, founding member of NBCA, learned of her inherited clotting disorder during pregnancy: “I remember the conversation as if it were yesterday. My mother shared with me the painful recollection of the loss of her stillborn son she delivered 14 months before she gave birth to me. We never talked about this sad experience again, not until…

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Waiting Could Cost You Your Life: Helen’s Story

My Name is Helen Smith. I’m 36 years old and have a genetic blood clotting disorder (thrombophilia) that could have taken my life twice. This is my story. In January 2008, I delivered my third son via cesarean section. Since this would my last planned pregnancy, I also elected to have a tubal ligation performed…

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I Never Thought it Could Happen to Me: Mariah’s Story

In October 2012, I started to feel a pain in my left calf. I immediately thought I pulled a muscle, so I tried stretching and even got new tennis shoes.  The pain would not go away and after about three weeks, and shortness of breath joined in. I had to take breaks walking to class…

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I Didn’t Have the Typical Symptoms: Victoria’s Story

I am a healthy 23 year old who exercises 6 times a week, eats healthy food, and has never smoked. After returning from nearly a year overseas, I decided to change my lifestyle and lost nearly 20 kg (44 pounds) in the past 5 months. During this period I became really in tune with my…

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