Thrombassador

As told by his daughter, Shannon In April 2024, my father, a retired police lieutenant, was diagnosed with duodenal cancer. He was unable to have the tumor removed and was undergoing chemotherapy. In late August 2024, he started complaining about being dizzy and lightheaded. He went to his primary care provider who told him that…

I started having superficial clots (SVTs) in the early 1990s, which was attributed to birth control. Genetic testing was not available at that time. I joined a list serve (email group) to learn more. Fifteen years later, with occasional SVTs and genetic testing now available, I was diagnosed with one factor V Leiden gene (heterozygous).…

In 2015, six weeks after starting a synthetic, estrogen-based birth control pill for perimenopausal symptoms, and one month into an overseas trip, I experienced the first symptoms of what I now know to be deep vein thrombosis and multiple pulmonary emboli. Sadly, my years of experience as a critical care nurse did not help me…

I experienced my pulmonary embolism in September 2023. Our youngest son and I had taken our older children to school, and the day went on normally. I noticed that I was becoming easily winded while doing really simple activities. My heart rate was also high. After school, our middle child had soccer practice and sat…