Here is hoping that 2015 is starting off well for you as it has been for the Clot Buster...
By now you probably know that NBCA has been named an Official Charity Partner with the CAP CITY HALF-MARATHON (www.CAPITALCITYHALFMARATHON.com) that will be held on May 2nd.
So, we are putting together a "TEAM STOPTHECLOT" so that polka-dots will be all around this event not only during the race but also with a booth during the expo session prior to the race. Can't express my gratitude and excitement about this opportunity to RAISE AWARENESS AND SPREAD THE WORK TO STOP THE CLOT! For sure the better part of 15,000 participants will walk by the booth and least will get a glimpse of the polka-dots and what we are all about!
So, while making the initial announcement of our involvement with this race through social - media (shameless plug here for my Twitter account @CLOTBUSTER) including some groups in Facebook the Athlete I am featuring on this month's edition of Athlete of the Month contacted me about her interest in participating...
... and since she is a survivor
JENNIE LOUCKS had a story and an experience that was a "Must Share" and I could not pass it up.
VERY THANKFUL for Jeannie's willingness to share here story with us so that we can all be inspired to keep going and never ever give up!
Please read on and enjoy...!
"A Little About Me:
*** What is you
sport/activity of choice? Why do you enjoy it?
I am an avid runner and cyclist. I enjoy these activities on some many
different levels. I love the
accomplished feeling a workout, race or PR give you. I love the therapy they
provide. I love the ability to
continually set goals and reach them, and most of all I love the friendships
that have blossomed because of the sports.
*** How did you get started in that sport?
Both are relatively new hobbies. Running began as a New Year's Resolution in
2013, where I set a goal to spend a year building up to a marathon, and I
picked up cycling in the spring of 2014 when I began training for Oklahoma
BikeMS.
*** What is the latest
milestone you achieved or plan to achieve?
Running: Completed a PR distance of 50K on Jan. 24, 2015 in
6:42:01. Cycling: I completed Oklahoma
BikeMS (2 Days, 150 miles) in September 2014.
I'm participating in OK Freewheel this summer, a week-long cycling event
across the state of Oklahoma.
*** What is your
favorite piece of gear for your favorite activity?
I love my Nike Free Run 2.0s. I have several pairs stock-piled in my closet
for the future. I also couldn't live
without my Garmin Forerunner 610!
*** How much are you
getting out doing your sport?
I run every day. I
started a streak on New Year's Day and am going to try to keep it alive with 1+
miles a day for all of 2015. I cycle several times per week.
*** What is your favorite food after a race or
activity in your sport?
Anything salty. I'm always craving salty things
post-race. That, and chocolate milk!
*** If you could go
some place to visit and explore, where would like to go?
I would love to backpack through Latin and South
America. There is so much culture to be
seen and experienced, and so many different types of climates, weather,
landmarks that I would be able to see and discover.
*** What would like
to say to someone who is going through a clotting episode, perhaps very similar
to yours? How can people return to do
what they enjoy?
NEVER NEVER NEVER give up on your dreams. Clotting, in my opinion, is more of a mental
battle than a physical one. You will
fight the fear of the unknown on a daily basis, but don't let it hold you
prisoner. Learn to listen closely to
your body; be as in-tune with it as possible.
Take it a day at a time, push yourself, but not too hard, and you'll be
back in the saddle before you even know it.
Remember, you're alive, you're breathing, your lungs are working, your
heart is pumping, and that is something we should never take for granted.
*** Tells about your concerns and what you look out after as
you got back.
At first, every little ache and pain terrified me. I felt like I lived in a continual state of
fear, waiting for the terrible pain I had before to return. I slowly began to figure out how to
distinguish between the residual pain that would always be there from the scar
tissue in my lungs and the pains that warranted a call to the doctor.
I found that anything below 30 degrees was hard on my lungs, and I had to adjust workouts accordingly to be either inside or to wrap my face with something while outside. Some days I really wanted to go farther, but I've been able to get really in-tune with my body and know when enough is enough for a day. Although I wouldn't wish blood clots on anyone, I really do appreciate the opportunity this has given me to really get in sync with my body and how it feels.
Here is my story:
In 2013 I made the decision that I was ready to take on the
world. I was ready to move somewhere new
and to start my life the way I wanted it.
I ended up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where I was blessed to find FleetFeet and
their marathon training program. I admit
I joined it more to meet people and make friends rather than to train, but I
ended up getting both, and when November of 2014 rolled around I was ready and
raring to go to DOMINATE the Route 66 Marathon on November 23rd...or so I
thought.
October 17, 2014
I'm drowning, I can't tell in what, but I can't get the air
I need, it's just not coming. I jolt
awake; it was only a dream.. But wait, I still can't breathe. My chest is on fire, and I'm only able to
swallow puffs of air at a time. It takes
all my strength to reach over to wake Colt, my boyfriend. Am I having a heart attack? How is this possible? We rush to the ER, where I wait and wait to
be seen. Finally, as the pain subsists
and my breathing returns to normal the doctor arrives. One chest x-ray later, and I'm on the way to
Walgreens for some pain meds. Diagnosis:
pleurisy.
Every night I fall asleep knowing that the crushing pain
will come for me sometime before the morning light. Some nights I'm lucky, most nights, Colt and
I spend the wee hours breathing slowly together, waiting for the pain to
subside. It always does, and then it's
back to the day as usual, work, long Saturday runs, Tuesday track
nights... I'm fine, until the night.
October 23, 2014
The nightly attacks are really taking a toll on me, and I
need relief. I arrive at Urgent Care,
where after a second chest x-ray, I'm giving a higher prescription. The pesky pleurisy just doesn't want to give
up. I wonder, will the nightly pain
become a part of my life that I must adjust to.
The notion is terrifying.
November 11, 2014
Today is different.
I've awoken and the pain is still there, nagging, pulling, blocking the
deep breaths I need so desperately. I return to Urgent Care, where I'm advised
to head back to the ER. I suffer through
the most excruciating pain of my life, lying on my back for the CT scan, and
then, we wait.
The doctor slowing opens the door, and the words leave her
mouth, "You should be dead".
Diagnosis: 30 blood clots between my two lungs. I'm admitted immediately to the ICU, and from
there, the next 5 days are a blur.
November 23, 2014
This was one of the hardest days of my life, standing at the
marathon finish line, watching all my teammates cross the finish line, one
after the next. I laughed, I cried at
least 10 times, and wished with every bone in my body that I was out there with
them.
November 28, 2014
Today's the day. The
doctor says I can begin running again.
My first run was to be a short, slow three miles, and the thought of it
terrified me. Would I ever be able to
run again? Guess what, I did. I pushed away all the fears I'd felt. I told
myself that this would not be the end of running. It started out at a snail's pace, but then I
sped up, faster, then faster, then I was flying. I decided then and there that it'd be a new
beginning for running and I.
January 24, 2015
Today was my comeback.
I felt great, stronger than ever really, and I had all the support in
the world from my running family. As I
got dressed the reality of the day started to set in. In less than two hours I'd be at the start
line for the longest race of my life. The Go Short Go Long Go Very Long 50K was
about the happen, and I was going to crush it.
Guess what, I did. Crossing that
finish line was literally the best moment of my life. My teammates were there to cheer me on, and
as I crossed the mat, I thought to myself, "Take that clots! You'll never be able to keep me from my
dreams!"
TAKE THAT CLOTS!
STOP THE CLOT! So glad that you are back! Looking forward to hear how far and fast you can go!
Thanks for reading,
The Clot Buster
"
I want to start by saying I was not an
athlete before my Pulmonary Embolism diagnosis, however I will be in Columbus
Ohio on May
2, 2015 at the age of 40 to do my
first 6.55 miles to raise awareness for a silent killer and give back to help
an amazing cause.
