Summer keeps rolling along...
Are you enjoying the time in the sun?
I very much do as much as I can as this is my favorite time of the year.
The inspiration to get out and enjoy everything I can outside comes from many different sources... the sun and the warm weather + the need to move and train + knowing that Blood Clot Survivors are out there doing incredible things + being part of the preparations for @TeamStopTheClot as the team is getting together to tackle the upcoming NYC Marathon... All of it gets me energized to see how much more I can push while wearing the CLOT BUSTER @TeamStopTheClot polka-dots.
One race down this summer and I placed 4th overall while Kayaking, Running and Cycling... I have a few races to go this summer still with my eyes on a marathon... Unfortunately not the NYC Marathon this year but instead the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC. This one seems like another unique experience so my wife and I are going to give it a go... I don't think I am ready for the punishment of a marathon yet but we are starting our build up so we will see how this one goes... Realistically I think that I may have a couple of marathons left in me. This one in October and perhaps one more if I ever attempt a full iron-distance triathlon which is still one of my bucket list items to achieve.
I could not do this without the BLOOD CLOT SURVIVOR CAN DO ANYTHING POWER... As the orders of polka-dot gear keep heading out all over the USA, to the UK, and Canada I get to meet more and more survivors who are overcoming massive blood clotting incidents and their stories are truly fascinating...
For this month we have a gift of a personal experience story that is very much worth sharing and reading. Thank you JOANNA for sharing your story! There is no question that it is going to make difference with someone who is looking to overcome and get back doing what they enjoy.
Read on...
It’s been two years since massive blood clots in my lungs nearly took my life. The first week in December 2019 was a typical week for me, including flights to see clients in Miami, NYC and DC. Then I flew from my home in NYC to Seattle to be with my family for the holidays. I arrived a few days early, as I needed to have an abdominal surgery that was supposed to be straightforward and recovery was to be a few days on the couch watching holiday movies with my family. Instead, I ended up in the ICU fighting for my life. I woke up a few days after my surgery with a very intense calf cramp, and what we now know was a DVT. But my leg was not hot, red or swollen, so I did not initially think it was a blood clot. I got up to move around, hoping the cramp would go away. But by the time I got downstairs, I could not breathe and my heart was racing. At the ER, they did an emergency CT scan and told me I was being admitted to the ICU as I had three massive pulmonary emboli, occluding three of my four pulmonary arteries. Because of my recent surgery, I was not a candidate for some of the interventions they may have otherwise considered. It was terrifying to struggle so much just to breathe, even on oxygen. And it was all so confusing and surreal. I didn’t understand what was happening, and was so shocked by the suddenness of it all. A few hours after I got out of the hospital, the oxygen provider arrived at my parent’s house to install an oxygen compressor and tanks throughout the house with a long hose. I couldn’t walk for more than a few feet without gasping for air. I remember watching these tanks being brought into the house and just wanting to cry. But I couldn’t cry because that would mean I couldn’t breathe. So instead, I tried to use the little energy I had to research and try to figure out how to heal as fast as possible so I could get back to my life. I had no idea what a health recovery journey would lie before me.
My previously fast paced life has slowed significantly. I now make space for painting, meditating, things that make me laugh, beauty, nature, naps, nourishing food and daily walks. Last year I was on oxygen for four months, struggling to walk even a few steps. But every day I added a minute to my walk. Eventually I could walk for 60 minutes, but only made it half a mile. And then I started getting stronger and walking faster. I started doing virtual walking challenges like the 124 mile Ring of Kerry and the 482 mile Camino de Santiago, 3-4 miles a day over the course of months. I was surprised that I found the challenges with the medal on completion so motivating! As a friend said to me, “After what you’ve been through, you deserve some medals!”
I wanted to challenge myself, and so decided in November of 2021 to join Team Stop the Clot and walk the virtual NYC marathon in San Diego (where I am now living). I enjoyed every minute of it - pacing myself and taking care of myself along the way, enjoying the beautiful scenery in San Diego and the connection to my beloved NYC, full of gratitude for the love and support of my family and friends who walked segments with me. And it was remarkable to see myself as a strong athlete, a marathoner with the endurance to walk for 26.2 miles in a day rather than as just a weak and vulnerable patient struggling to survive.
On my clotiversary, I look back in amazement and immense gratitude at how far I have come. And on this second clotiversary, I am actually now able to look forward with hope and vision for a future (including another marathon!) as I continue to walk in wellness.
NEVER STOP GOING FORWARD JOANNA!
BLOOD CLOT SURVIVORS CAN DO ANYTHING!!!
For sure you deserve all of the medals you can earn as you keep on walking. You make us all proud and hopeful that anyone can overcome anything.
I am very much inspired... I hope you are as well.
Thank you for reading,
The Clot Buster
