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Home / Share Your Loved One’s Blood Clot Story

Share Your Loved One’s Blood Clot Story

About 100,000 Americans die every year from blood clots, and their lives deserve to be remembered and celebrated. If you have a loved one who has experienced a fatal pulmonary embolism, we would be honored to share their story.

Questions? Contact tpatrikis@stoptheclot.org

Loved One's Story Submission Form

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Current News

Women's Health Month NBCA logo_IG

National Blood Clot Alliance Launches Women and Blood Clots Virtual Institute During Women’s Health Month

PHILADELPHIA, PA, UNITED STATES, May 1, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The National Blood Clot Alliance (NBCA) today announced the upcoming launch of the…

Get the full story »

Photo of Bob and Karrie Burgess, parents of Blake Burgess, whose death from a blood clot inspired the Blake Burgess Blood Clot Prevention Act.

Update April 28, 2026: Blake Burgess Blood Clot Prevention Act Passes Senate

The Blake Burgess Blood Clot Prevention Act (HB 3644) has passed the Oklahoma Senate and is headed to Governor Stitt’s…

Get the full story »

Get more news »

Follow us on Instagram

stoptheclot

Advancing blood clot awareness, prevention, diagnosis & treatments to #stoptheclot. Submit your story @ link below ⬇️ Our podcast: Taking a Breath 🎙️

A woman's blood clot risk doesn't start and end in

A woman's blood clot risk doesn't start and end in one place — it follows her through her entire life. 💗

From birth control and family planning, to pregnancy, IVF, menopause, and beyond — there are moments across a woman's lifespan where her risk quietly increases. Most women never know until it's too late.

This Women’s Health Month, help us change that. Tag a woman you love and share this post — it could help save her life.

#womenandbloodclots #WomensHealthMonth26 #stoptheclot #womenwelove

These are just a few of the REAL questions women s

These are just a few of the REAL questions women submitted ahead of tonight's Women & Blood Clots PEP Talk. 💗

“Can I safely get pregnant after DVT or PE?”
“What IVF protocol is safest after blood clots?”
“Can I use HRT if my clot was caused by birth control?”
“Can you still get blood clots while on blood thinners?
“How do I stop living in fear of another clot?”

For too long, women navigating hormones, pregnancy, menopause, fertility treatment, anticoagulation, and clotting disorders have struggled to find clear answers — or even know where to start asking the questions.

Tonight, hematologist Dr. Caroline Cromwell and 3X Olympic medalist swimmer, PE survivor, and soon-to-be mom, Katie Hoff will join us to discuss the nuanced realities of women’s VTE risk across the lifespan.

This conversation is for patients, survivors, caregivers, and clinicians alike.

📅 TONIGHT, Tuesday, May 12 • 7 PM ET
🔗 Register: bit.ly/MayPEP2026 (or link in bio)

#WomenAndBloodClots #BloodClots #IVF #PregnancyAfterPE #HRT #DVT #PulmonaryEmbolism #StopTheClot

Amanda had been on birth control since she was 15.

Amanda had been on birth control since she was 15. What no one knew — including her — was that she also carried a genetic clotting disorder called Prothrombin G20210A, inherited from her father. That combination quietly elevated her clot risk for nearly two decades before multiple clots in her leg finally triggered the discovery.

A year later, she faced a high-risk pregnancy requiring daily injections—336 to be exact.

Today, she now lives with chronic clots and ongoing monitoring, but is grateful for every step of a journey that could have ended very differently.

⚠️ It’s so important to be aware of blood clot risks. Women face particular challenges with things like birth control and pregnancy, and too often they are misdiagnosed.

This May, help us change that!

Honor a woman you love by supporting the work that gets life-saving information into the hands of women who need it most.
👉 stoptheclot.org/whm2026donate/ (link in bio)

#womenandbloodclots #WomensHealthMonth26 #womenwelove #stoptheclot

BREAKING NEWS 🚨🩸 On May 18th, Governor Stitt will

BREAKING NEWS 🚨🩸

On May 18th, Governor Stitt will sign the Blake Burgess Blood Clot Prevention Act into law in Oklahoma.

Blake's name. Oklahoma law. Forever.

To the Burgess family — your courage changed everything.

To Rep. Stinson and Senator Hines — thank you.

To everyone who contacted their representatives — it worked. 💙

#BlakesBill #StopTheClot #BloodClotAwareness #Oklahoma #PatientAdvocacy #VTEprevention #BloodClot #HealthAdvocacy #NeverGiveUp

@oksenate

Julie left her house thinking she had sciatica. Te

Julie left her house thinking she had sciatica. Ten hours later, doctors were working to save her life. 💗

What felt like leg pain and fatigue turned out to be a massive pulmonary embolism — and like so many women, Julie had no idea what was happening until it was almost too late.

This Women's Health Month, “Trust your instincts. Don't let anybody turn you away from getting the answers you need or deserve."

Honor a woman you love by supporting the work that gets life-saving information into the hands of women who need it most.
👉 stoptheclot.org/whm2026donate/ (link in bio)

#womenandbloodclots #WomensHealthMonth26 #womenwelove #stoptheclot

Blood clot risk doesn't look the same at every sta

Blood clot risk doesn't look the same at every stage of a woman's life — and it doesn't look the same for women as it does for men. 💗

Women face a set of blood clot risk factors that are entirely unique to them — hormonal birth control, pregnancy, postpartum recovery, IVF, and hormone therapy. For too long, women have been under-informed and under-served when it comes to blood clot awareness, prevention, and care — with important gaps still remaining in research, education, and sex-specific clinical guidance.

That's changing — and clinicians like Dr. Cromwell are leading the way.

As a hematologist at Weill Cornell Medicine and a specialist in women's health and the long-term care of DVT and PE patients, Dr. Cromwell knows firsthand that the conversation has moved from blanket restrictions to individualized, evidence-based risk assessment. Join her and fellow panelists tomorrow for NBCA's May PEP Talk: Women & Blood Clots — a free online discussion covering birth control, pregnancy, IVF, HRT, and what women and their doctors should actually be asking.

This conversation is for patients, caregivers, and clinicians alike.
📅 Tuesday, May 12 at 7 PM ET
🔗 Register free: bit.ly/MayPEP2026 (link in bio)

#WomensHealthMonth #womenandbloodclots #StopTheClot #BloodClots #DVT #PulmonaryEmbolism #HRT #Thrombosis #WomensHealth #ClinicalEducation

From all of us at the National Blood Clot Alliance

From all of us at the National Blood Clot Alliance — Happy Mother's Day. 💗

To every woman who has carried life, we see you. We know that during pregnancy and up to three months postpartum, a woman's blood clot risk is elevated. It's a risk most mothers never hear about, taken quietly, for the people they love most.

At NBCA, we fight every day to make sure women have the information they deserve. Today, we simply want to say: we honor you, we celebrate you, and we are grateful for you.

Happy Mother's Day. 💗

#womenandbloodclots #WomensHealthMonth26 #womenwelove #mothersday #stoptheclot

💕 This Women's Health Month, the National Blood Cl

💕 This Women's Health Month, the National Blood Clot Alliance is elevating women’s voices and sharing powerful stories like Olivia’s.

At 17 weeks pregnant, Olivia knew something was wrong. The breathlessness wasn't like her previous pregnancies. The tightness in her chest wouldn't go away. And when an overwhelming feeling of impending doom set in, she told her doctor: "I think I am dying and I'm not going home without help."

She was right. 🩸 The diagnosis was a pulmonary embolism at 24 weeks pregnant. Despite being repeatedly dismissed as an over-anxious mother, Olivia trusted herself — and that instinct kept her alive for her three sons.

⚠️ Blood clot risk rises significantly during pregnancy — and too often pregnant women are misdiagnosed.

This May, help us change that.

Honor a woman you love by supporting the work that gets life-saving information into the hands of women who need it most.
👉 stoptheclot.org/whm2026donate/ (link in bio)

#womenandbloodclots #WomensHealthMonth26 #womenwelove #mothersday #stoptheclot

Happy Mother's Day to the women who showed us what

Happy Mother's Day to the women who showed us what strength really looks like. 💗

Behind every mother is a story — and for many, that story includes a health risk they never saw coming. Blood clots are one of the leading complications of pregnancy and the postpartum period, yet most women go through it without ever being told.

This Mother's Day, the National Blood Clot Alliance is honoring every mother who has faced this — and fighting to make sure the next generation of moms doesn't have to face it uninformed.

Happy Mother's Day. 💗

#womenandbloodclots #WomensHealthMonth26 #womenwelove #mothersday #stoptheclot

⚠️ Did you know hormonal birth control is a well-d

⚠️ Did you know hormonal birth control is a well-documented trigger of blood clots in otherwise healthy young women — a risk that millions of women are prescribed without ever being told?

Cassandra Frizzell found out the hard way. In 2019, she developed a DVT and pulmonary embolism from birth control and had to fight to be taken seriously when colleagues told her to go home and rest.

This Women's Health Month, Cassandra is sharing her story so other women — daughters, mothers, sisters, friends — can recognize the warning signs and advocate for themselves before it's too late.

💕 Honor a woman you love this May by helping us spread the word and dedicating a gift to a woman you love:
👉 https://www.stoptheclot.org/whm2026donate/ (link in bio)

#womenandbloodclots #WomensHealthMonth26 #womenwelove #mothersday #stoptheclot

Be honest… which would she choose? 💗 🌸 Flowers th

Be honest… which would she choose? 💗

🌸 Flowers that fade in a week — or something that actually lasts?

This Mother's Day, honor the women you love with a gift that could save a life. A donation to Stop the Clot® helps fund blood clot education, awareness, and support for women and families who need it most.

There's still time to donate in her honor and send a custom Mother's Day eCard:
👉 https://www.stoptheclot.org/whm2026donate/ (link in bio)

#womenandbloodclots #WomensHealthMonth26 #womenwelove #mothersday #stoptheclot

🩸 Our STOP the CLOT graphic got a Women’s Health M

🩸 Our STOP the CLOT graphic got a Women’s Health Month makeover. 💗

Because blood clots can affect women at every stage of life — from pregnancy and postpartum recovery to birth control, hormone therapy, cancer treatment, surgery, travel, and more.

Yet too many women are never warned about the risks or signs.

This Women’s Health Month, we’re encouraging women everywhere to learn the signs, trust their instincts, and advocate for themselves when something doesn’t feel right.

⚠️ Persistent leg/arm pain, swelling, chest pain, or shortness of breath should never be ignored.

Help spread awareness by sharing this graphic and helping more women learn the signs to STOP the CLOT. 🩸

#WomensHealthMonth #WomenAndBloodClots #StopTheClot #KnowYourRisk #BloodClotAwareness #MaternalHealth

💗 Tag a woman you love. This Mother's Day, we're

💗 Tag a woman you love.

This Mother's Day, we're recognizing something most women are never told: blood clot risk doesn't stay the same throughout a woman's life. It shifts — with birth control, pregnancy, hormone therapy, surgery, long travel, and more.

Knowing the signs can save her life.

This Women's Health Month, share this post with a woman you love and the. dedicate a gift in their homor:
👉 https://www.stoptheclot.org/whm2026donate/ (link in bio)

#womenandbloodclots #WomensHealthMonth26 #womenwelove #mothersday #stoptheclot

“Just one surgery changed the trajectory of my mom

“Just one surgery changed the trajectory of my mom's life.”

Victoria is sharing her mother’s story to help others understand how easily blood clots can be missed—and how serious they can become.

It started with what seemed like minor symptoms: tingling in her foot and pain when walking. Nothing that immediately felt alarming. But by the time she was diagnosed, what had likely started as a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) had already progressed into a pulmonary embolism—a life-threatening blood clot in the lungs.

Blood clots don’t always look the way people expect them to. Symptoms can be subtle, easy to dismiss, or mistaken for something else entirely.

During Women’s Health Month we’re raising awareness because at so many stages of a woman’s life — from surgery and pregnancy to birth control, hormone therapy, cancer, travel, and more — her risk of blood clots can increase. Too often, no one tells her.

Victoria’s message is one we all need to hear:
⚠️ Listen to your body.
⚠️ Don’t ignore persistent symptoms.
⚠️ Advocate for yourself and your loved ones.
⚠️ Learn the signs of blood clots.

Help protect the women you love through education, awareness, advocacy, and support for patients and families impacted by blood clots.

Dedicate your gift to a woman you love:
👉 https://www.stoptheclot.org/whm2026donate/ (link in bio)

#womenandbloodclots #WomensHealthMonth26 #womenwelove #mothersday #stoptheclot

🩸 Just one week after giving birth prematurely to

🩸 Just one week after giving birth prematurely to twins, Kristelle described her leg and back pain as "as bad as childbirth" — and that instinct may have saved her life. What followed was one of the most serious blood clot diagnoses possible: an extensive DVT, bilateral pulmonary embolisms, and a pulmonary infarction.

💔 More than a decade later, Kristelle lives with COPD, emphysema, heart failure, and severe spinal conditions.

⚠️ Postpartum blood clots can happen to healthy, young women without warning. Persistent pain or swelling after delivery is never something to push through. Early action is critical.

At so many stages of a woman’s life, her risk of blood clot rises. Oftentimes, no one informs her of this.

This Women’s Health Month, help us change that through education, awareness, advocacy, and support for women and families impacted by blood clots. 💗
👉 https://www.stoptheclot.org/whm2026donate/

#womenandbloodclots #WomensHealthMonth26 #womenwelove #KnowYourRisk #MaternalHealth #StopTheClot

The old blanket approach to HRT in VTE patients is

The old blanket approach to HRT in VTE patients is being challenged — and Dr. Cromwell has been part of that conversation for years.

As a hematologist at Weill Cornell Medicine and a clinician whose focus centers on women's health and the long-term care of DVT and PE patients, Dr. Cromwell understands better than most that a history of blood clots is no longer an automatic reason to rule out menopausal hormone therapy. The better question is which patient, which formulation, and at what level of recurrence risk.

What the current evidence supports:
🔬 Route matters — transdermal estrogen appears to carry lower thrombotic risk than oral estrogen
🔬 Thrombophilia status, prior VTE provocation, and recurrence risk are critical variables in individualized decision-making
🔬 Progestogen choice matters — micronized progesterone appears safer than synthetic progestogens
🔬 A collaborative hematology/gynecology approach is essential — these patients shouldn't be managed in silos

The conversation has moved from "never" to "individualized risk-benefit assessment" — and thrombosis experts like Dr. Cromwell are leading that shift.

Join us for NBCA's May PEP Talk: Women & Blood Clots, where Dr. Cromwell and fellow panelists will address the nuanced, evolving guidance on birth control, pregnancy, IVF, HRT, and women's VTE risk across the lifespan.

📅 Tuesday, May 12 at 7 PM ET
🔗 Register at bit.ly/MayPEP2026 (link in bio)

This PEP Talk is designed for both women and the clinicians who manage their care.

#VTE #Thrombosis #HRT #WomenandBloodclots #Hematology #Gynecology #BloodClots #StopTheClot #WomensHealthMonth #ClinicalEducation

“If I could tell my mom one thing, it would be: th

“If I could tell my mom one thing, it would be: that I wish I knew then what I know now so I could have warned her about the perfect storm of risk factors she had brewing.”
— Todd Robertson

Todd lost his mom suddenly to a pulmonary embolism at 43 — and later became a blood clot survivor himself.

Now, he wishes he could go back and have one conversation: helping her understand the risks, recognize the warning signs, and know when to seek help.

Every day, families lose someone they love to a blood clot — often without ever knowing they were at risk.

This Mother’s Day, we’re honoring the moms we love — and the ones we’ve lost — by helping more women get the lifesaving information they deserve.

💝 Make a Mother’s Day donation in honor or memory of a woman you love:
https://www.stoptheclot.org/whm2026donate/
(link in bio)

💬 If you could tell your mom one thing, what would it be?

#MothersDay #BloodClotAwareness #StopTheClot #WomensHealth #PulmonaryEmbolism #DVT #BloodClotSurvivor

💐 Honor Her With More Than Flowers 💐 You’ll buy h

💐 Honor Her With More Than Flowers 💐

You’ll buy her flowers.
They’ll brighten her day.
But they won’t protect her from a blood clot. 🩸

A woman’s risk of blood clots can increase during pregnancy and postpartum recovery — but also with age, surgery, hormone replacement therapy, birth control, cancer, travel, and more. Yet too many women are never warned about the signs or risks.

During pregnancy alone, the risk of a dangerous blood clot increases 5X.

Flowers fade. Awareness saves lives.

This Mother’s Day, go beyond the bouquet. Help us protect the women we love through education, advocacy, and support for blood clot survivors and their families. 💗

👉 Share this post. Start the conversation. And if you’re able, donate in her honor today:
https://www.stoptheclot.org/whm2026donate/ (link in bio)

We’ll send a custom eCard in her honor. 💌

#womenandbloodclots #WomensHealthMonth26 #womenwelove #KnowYourRisk #MaternalHealth #StopTheClot

🩸 18X blood clot survivor Lisa Lane. Lisa was a h

🩸 18X blood clot survivor Lisa Lane.

Lisa was a healthy athlete and five months pregnant with her first child when she developed pain, swelling, heat, and discoloration in her leg. She was misdiagnosed three times before finally learning she had a blood clot.

Today, she’s sharing her story so other women know the signs, trust their instincts, and keep pushing for answers when something doesn’t feel right.

This Women’s Health Month, we’re shining a light on the risks women face during pregnancy, postpartum recovery, birth control, hormone therapy, IVF, travel, and more — because too many women are never told blood clots could happen to them.

⚠️ Know the warning signs:
🦵 Leg pain, swelling, or tenderness
🫁 Shortness of breath
💔 Chest pain or rapid heart rate
🔴 Skin that appears red or feels warm to the touch

At so many stages of a woman’s life, her blood clot risks, and the odds are that nobody told her.

You can help us change that with a donation today. 👉 https://www.stoptheclot.org/whm2026donate/
(link in bio)

#womenandbloodclots #WomensHealthMonth26 #womenwelove #KnowYourRisk #MaternalHealth #StopTheClot

May is Women's Health Month — and we're kicking it

May is Women's Health Month — and we're kicking it off with an incredible guest. 🌸

Three-time Olympic medalist swimmer and blood clot survivor Katie Hoff is joining us for our May Pep Talk to share her journey from the Olympic pool to surviving blood clots, navigating IVF, and now expecting her first daughter this August. 💙

There's so much fear and uncertainty around family planning after a blood clot diagnosis — Katie is here to help debunk the myths and show that a healthy pregnancy, and happy, family-filled life is absolutely possible.

(We’ll also be diving into other important women’s risk factors, including birth control, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), and more—because too often, women aren’t given the full picture.)

📅 Tuesday, May 12 at 7 PM ET
🔗 Register at bit.ly/MayPEP2026 (link in bio)

@kthoff7
#womenandbloodclots #WomensHealthMonth26 #womenwelove #stoptheclot

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NBCA provides the information and materials on this site for general information purposes only. You should not rely on the information provided as a substitute for actual professional medical advice, care, or treatment. This site is not designed to and does not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment, or services to you or any individual. If you believe you have a medical emergency, call 911 immediately.