October Athlete of the Month

Inspiration can come at you from many different directions. You never will know what will hit you that will get you inspired.

If you read any of the previous post from this blog you will find some inspiration from these blood clot survivors there is no question about it.

The month of October has in it a very VERY especial day for the community of blood clot survivors... OCTOBER 13th is WORLD THROMBOSIS DAY!!! For me this is a day in which we celebrate awareness, survivors, and remember all those we lost along the way.  This year STOPTHECLOT.org is celebrating World Thrombosis day with a virtual run.  Checkout all the details here >>> https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/Philadelphia/RunWalktoStoptheClot 

You know that I will be running in my CLOT BUSTER @TeamStopTheClot polka-dots and I hope that you will consider joining us as well!

And speaking of running... October is also the month in which preparations intensify in order for blood clot survivors and friends/family of blood clot patients to get ready to participate as runners for the NYC Marathon in November.  This is without a question one of the coolest things that we get to do and to me it is always a thrill to meet these runners who are about to have an unbelievable experience running this marathon.  There is nothing like it.

So lets go ahead and meet on of our runners for this year's edition of Team STOP THE CLOT. 

Please allow me introduce to you NATALIA... but instead of me rambling here go ahead and read on to learn more about this blood clot survivor who is going to dominate the NYC Marathon!!!

What is your sport/activity of choice? Why do you enjoy it?

I primarily run - I really enjoy the stress relief it provides and having my body be constantly challenged.  I find that running really helps with my mental health and really jump starts my day.  It is a sport that rewards consistency and to me that is very important. 

How did you get started in that sport?

One of my friends from back home in El Salvador challenged me to run a half marathon before I turned 25. I said sure - ran that race maybe 10 days before my birthday and then finished knowing I could do better. I have said the same every single race since then.

What is the latest milestone you achieved or plan to achieve?

I am running the NYC Marathon fundraising for team stop the clot! This will be my 3rd marathon (first post PE) and I am very nervous and very excited.

https://fundraisers.hakuapp.com/natalia-siman

Tells about your clotting episode.  Are you on blood thinners now? How long were you out of commission?

A week after my 29th birthday, I was training for CIM in California and I had a run that was very very hard. (It was a 20 miler so granted, that is never easy) I had never before felt that out-of-breath feeling, especially on an easy paced run. I chalked it up to a bad day, but then when I felt out of breath dancing at a wedding a couple of days later, I knew there was something off. I remember I couldn’t take a complete deep breath on the way back from the wedding. 

I went to the urgent care the next day and because I had traveled, they wanted to check for blood clots and sent me to the ER. They told me that it was most likely bronchitis but wanted to check. 

I thought they were crazy!! That blood clots only happened to much older individuals. I went to the ER anyways because I had a Disney half marathon that weekend and wanted to get better.

I ended up having a double pulmonary embolism, every doctor that came in to see me kept telling me that my life was a miracle, that I only felt good because of how much I run. I was never really scared until my parents showed up from El Salvador and then I realized how serious this was and could have been.

My boyfriend ran the half instead of me, and I was still doing blood thinners via injection/needles. It was completely surreal to me to be at Disney having to inject myself with blood thinners and feeling weak after being marathon training a week before!! 

I went to the hematologist, described what I was taking before. I was very dehydrated, took approximately 5 flights in two weeks (this is very normal for me because I travel for work), was on birth control, so I really don’t know exactly what caused my episode, but doctors think it’s a combination of all of the above. 

 

I was on blood thinners for approximately 8 months, I was out of commission for about a month, but then it took a while to get back my running fitness. Maybe 6 months.  The mental hurdle was so much harder to deal with, even almost two years later when it is hard to breathe I panic. I went to the urgent care once for what ended up being nothing. Also with COVID wearing a mask and going up stairs gave me that same out of breath feeling that is now extremely scary to me. 

When were you able to get back into your activity?  How did it feel that first time?

My hematologist told me I could run a couple of weeks after the episode, but to take it very easy. That first time it felt scary and it was hard to breathe. I ran for only a couple of minutes and then did some walking intervals. I remember feeling so happy once I got back to a mile.

What is your favorite piece of gear for your favorite activity?

I love my aftershokz! I also got myself a roadID bracelet for when I was taking blood thinners and for safety after knowing I could have passed out during my clotting incident. (I never used to run with any kind of ID)

How much are you getting out doing your sport?

Right now I am running 4-5x a week. I am doing way lower mileage than before, both to prevent injury and I am not as fit as before!

What is your favorite food?  Either generally or after a workout.

I LOVE a cold chocolate milk after a run.

If you could go some place to visit and explore, where would like to go? 

I really want to go to Japan and spend a whole week just exploring and eating.

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? Tells about your concerns and what you look out after

This is scary, and it sucks, and you are not alone. I did not know anyone who had a pulmonary embolism at a young age (to be honest, I didn’t even know the word embolism in English). It gets better. After a while you start to feel better and you start to trust your body again. It is a process and like any process you have to take it one day at a time. Forward is forward, and though sometimes it feels like you are treading water - you are alive, and you are making progress!! 

Can't wait for Natalia to experience the Marathon in NYC. 

No question that "it is a process" and you have to work at it every single day.  Blood Clot Survivors do this all the time and so can we. 

Thank you so much to Natalia for her willingness to share her story.  Here is wishing her all the best while she finalizes her training and prepares for race day.

Thank you for reading,

The Clot Buster