A Letter From Lori Preston
Dear Friends,
I’m Lori Preston, Vice President and Co-Founder of the National Alliance for Thrombosis and Thrombophilia (NATT). For those of you who don’t know me, my family history with blood clots and clotting disorders runs long and deep; four generations, in fact, from my grandmother, mother, self and now my two daughters, Hannah and Alexandra, ages nine and two. And we are not alone in our battle to Stop the Clot™. Several hundred thousand Americans die each year from blood clots in the veins. Most of these lives could have been saved if more patients and health professionals knew about the risks, symptoms, and treatments associated with blood clots and clotting disorders.
NATT is diligently working to prevent, diagnose and treat thrombosis and thrombophilia through education, research, support and advocacy. We made substantial progress in 2008 regarding our efforts to Stop the Clot™. With our first year of grant funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), we were able to:
Surgeon General’s 2008 Call to Action
2008 was a landmark year as US Acting Surgeon General Rear Admiral Steven K. Galson, MD, MPH, issued a historic Call to Action to Prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) and Pulmonary Embolism (PE) on September 15, 2008. As seen in the picture above, I met Dr. Galson in our nation’s capital on that momentous date and I heard first hand his Call to Action – the development of a coordinated strategy to improve awareness of DVT and PE. The Call to Action promises to change the way blood clots and clotting disorders are perceived, diagnosed and treated.
As a representative of the thrombosis and thrombophilia community, I
applaud Dr. Galson’s “wake-up call for
This Call to Action will be remembered as the beginning of a broad-based campaign against DVT/PEs. For more information on how NATT is addressing the Surgeon General’s Call to Action, please see the list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
NATT’s advocacy efforts also played a critically important role in support of:
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New federal Medicare program regulations (effective October 1, 2008) that provide for dramatic steps to prevent blood clots in patients undergoing knee and hip replacement surgery
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Enactment of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) which prohibits employers from discharging, refusing to hire, or otherwise discriminating against employees on the basis of genetic information
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Improvements to Medicare; expanding its coverage of INR home monitoring to include patients on warfarin for DVT/PEs, this will liberate many patients from regular visits to clinics for monitoring
Your help is needed!
Every hour, there are more than 100 DVT/PEs and 34 deaths due to blood clots in the United States. This is unacceptable, and we need your help to expand our programs to Stop the Clot™. Your contribution will support our work towards our Call to Action initiatives.
Thank you for
investing in our mission by making a tax deductible donation today of $25, $50,
$100, $500, $1000, or whatever amount you can give. Your gift will truly help
save lives, and we appreciate your generosity. You can donate by check or
online see the instructions below to donate by check.
Click here to donate by credit card or PayPal.
With gratitude, good health and best wishes for the New Year.
Sincerely,
Lori Preston
Vice President and Co-Founder
To donate by check, please click here to print the NATT donation form and mail your contribution to:
National Alliance for Thrombosis and
Thrombophilia
120 White Plains Road, Suite 100
Tarrytown, NY 10591
Tel: (914) 220-5040
Toll free: (877) 4 NO CLOT (466-2568)
