Man

“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…

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…

My name is Martin R. Lemieux, and for over 20 years now I’ve survived five DVTs – blood clots in my left leg, one clot in my right leg, and another clot in my left pelvic area. As if that wasn’t enough, I’ve also had to manage three massive chronic wounds that will not heal.…

My name is David Chadwick and I am a 27-year-old male. On January 18, 2016, I was walking to a shop that is about three minutes from my house. I typically use this time to make mobile calls, as the reception in my house is terrible. I was on the phone with my friend when she said,…

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…

In early August 2015, after getting back from a tour — I’m a military musician — I noticed that my right calf/ankle area was more sore than normal following a long walk I had taken. I waited. I did a squat or leg day workout on Monday, and noticed that my right leg was taking…

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…

Before that day, I was physically fit. I had recently won the National Championship in the Firefighter Combat Challenge. I was a full time Captain with the Fire Department, and the single parent of a 19 year old son, and 16 and 9 year old daughters. I was happy, my kids were happy. Life was…

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 am 41 years old and I have been battling blood clots for more than 11 years. It started with a blood clot in my left calf. I thought it was a pulled muscle after working out, but little did I know how much my life was going to change. I was hospitalized for…