Man

The Road to Diagnosis As far back as my teenage years, I had experienced chronic shortness of breath. This worsened in my twenties and thirties as new symptoms emerged, including occasional chest and arm pains and general exhaustion. Over the years I sought the opinions of countless doctors, leading to misdiagnosis after misdiagnosis, …

In the fall of 2020, a near-fatal bilateral pulmonary embolism came from nowhere, cause unknown. As a 14-time marathoner and in the best shape of my life, this came as a complete shock. Following my diagnosis, I was put on blood thinners. As an athlete, adjusting to the blood thinners was a challenge. I was…

I am 28 years old and fairly active. I go to Crossfit five times a week. Blood clots were never on my radar screen. But on May 1, 2020, as I was walking to my car, I was overcome by dizziness and lightheadedness as I have never experienced before. I was also fatigued from walking…

My name is Tim. I was born, raised, and still live in Salem, Arkansas. Salem is a small town with many people raising cattle. My dad always had a few heads of cattle and, growing up, I would get on calves trying to ride them. I grew older and started getting on young bulls until…

One year ago, I was diagnosed with a massive blood clot in my lung. It occurred when I was away for the long Martin Luther King Jr. weekend on a ski trip in New York. Early that weekend, on a Saturday, I had a minor fall getting off of the lifts. I injured both of…

I was 41 years old when I was headed in for a right knee meniscus repair on September 25, 2019. I had a similar repair done on my left knee in June of 2016. As a machinist and mechanic, I have always had to rely on my knees to push through the days. The physical…

In 2013, I graduated from high school and was all set to join the military in July. I was extremely active, running every day, and lifting weights. A couple weeks prior, I woke up to the worst pain I have ever felt in my right leg. It felt like an over-the-top muscle tear. Over the…

On December 31, 2014, I went to a dinner party at a friend’s house for New Year’s Eve. I was uncomfortable the whole time. Simply put, my calf ached. I remember thinking, “That’s odd, I haven’t exercised in days, so why does my calf hurt so much?” I struggled to sleep that night and spent the next…

I am writing this story in memory of my husband, Jon Charles Shain, who passed away due to blood clots on January 26, 2019. Jon’s risk for getting a blood clot was high, but unfortunately, he did not realize it. Jon was being treated for prostate cancer for several years. Cancer is a risk factor…

In February of 2017, a friend challenged me to climb Mount St. Helens in August. At the time, I figured this was an easily attainable goal and we signed up. April came and I noticed some soreness in my right calf. During my lunch breaks I would climb the stairwell at work (16 floors), and…