Factor V Leiden
They Told Me I Have Factor V Leiden 15 Years Ago, But Was Told Not to Worry: Karen’s Story
Live Your Life 15 years ago my mom had surgery for lung cancer. Two weeks later she had a clot in her leg and a PE. They found out she had Factor V Leiden. They told all 5 of her children to get checked. I was the only one and found out I have it…
Being So Young and Not Understanding How This Was Possible, It Was Difficult for Me to Process: Abigail’s Story
Don’t Let It Control Your World Two weeks after having fractured my fifth metatarsal in my foot, with a non-weight bearing treatment plan, I began to have a cramping sensation in my calf — pain and tightness that was so intense and persistent for hours. I first dismissed it earlier in the day as just…
“Don’t Wait or Gaslight Yourself. You Have One Life:” Alexus’s Story
Don’t Wait or Gaslight Yourself. You Have One Life. I had a pulmonary embolism in December 2025. It Started With a Fever A couple of days before, I was sick with a fever. My left leg started to hurt so bad — like a Charley horse. No matter what I did, nothing helped. Day Three…
After 8 Hours of Brain Surgery, a Blood Clot Almost Killed Me: Nicole’s Story
The Perfect Storm I was diagnosed with Long COVID in August 2025. In October 2025, I underwent an eight-hour surgery for Chiari Malformation — an experience that ultimately improved my quality of life. However, about a week and a half after returning home, I developed a pulmonary embolism in my right lung — something that…
Given a Baby Aspirin Instead of Blood Thinners — Keri’s Story
But I’m Here. I Survived. In April 2024, I underwent ACL reconstruction surgery after rupturing my ACL. About a week after surgery, I started feeling pain in my back. I brushed it off, assuming it was from sleeping differently since I had to keep my leg straight and had been sleeping on my back. The…
A Father of Four Daughters and a Factor V Leiden Diagnosis: John “JT” Lasker’s Story
I Thought I Was Just Getting Older The official date I use for my blood clot story is July 27, 2020—the day I was admitted to the hospital. Looking back, though, the story really started weeks earlier. It was the summer of 2020, just a few months into the COVID-19 pandemic. Around the same time,…
I Was 18 and Healthy — Then I Was Diagnosed With a Blood Clot: Rachel’s Story
Around a month after my 18th birthday, I was driving with a friend when I suddenly felt an intense, unfamiliar pain in my left arm. The best way I could describe it was like a severe charley horse. I mentioned it out loud, but the pain faded quickly, and I brushed it off as nothing…
Factor V Leiden and Sudden Blood Clots: Jason’s Story
On the morning of December 21, 2021, Jason and his family were planning to spend the day Christmas shopping—just a simple, joyful day together. Instead, it became the day their lives changed forever. Jason was 50 years old when he passed away unexpectedly. That morning, his youngest daughter found him on the ground. He was…
Blood Clots Can Happen to Anyone: Brenna’s Story
I’m 30 years old and have a complicated medical history. As a teenager, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and today I manage more than 20 different health conditions. On April 20, 2021, I felt severe pain in my left leg. It was swollen, purple, and hot to the touch. I called my…
I Learned to Love My Body Again: Andreea’s Story
Two weeks after a 68-mile bike ride, I couldn’t straighten my leg, and my veins bulged. “It’s just a bruise,” the ER doctor said, looking at my leg. He dismissed it the same way that the sports doctor and physical therapists did. But weeks later, my leg looked blue with spider veins. I sent a…
