December Athlete of the Month

Here is wishing EVERYONE a WONDERFUL HOLIDAY SEASON!!!

May you receive all the good health, happiness, and good fortune you deserve.

If you are in need of polka-dot gear you know you are at the right place to order some.

It has been an incredible year of spreading awareness about blood clots and blood clotting disorders.

It has been an incredible year of celebrating that blood clot survivors CAN DO ANYTHING.

It has been an incredible year of getting the @TeamSTOPTHECLOT polka-dots out to various parts of the country and the world. I can't get enough of seeing the polka-dots going places...

STOPTHECLOT.org is closing out the year in style as we have a NFL Player with STOPTHECLOT.org cleats playing on prime time on Sunday... if you did not see this check out all the posts about it both on Twitter and on Facebook. It is truly remarkable the reach we have in our quest of spread awareness.

Speaking of polka-dots going places... The NYC Marathon is one of those places and this year we had our largest team yet since we started in 2013. 

It is very cool to see the program grow and get people involved in it.

KATIE is one of those who got involved as a blood clot survivor. She is definitely a survivor WHO CAN AND WILL DO ANYTHING!!!

I don't need to tell you about it... I will let you read what Katie wrote about her story as found on her fundraising page from the NYC Marathon Campaign.

Please read on and get INSPIRED TO OVERCOME!!!

In January, 2022 I was preparing for my wedding when the unthinkable happened. 4 days prior to the big day I developed severe chest pain and difficulty breathing. I went to the local ER where they diagnosed me with a large blood clot in my lung. I was placed on blood thinners right away and underwent additional testing to determine the cause of my clot. As a 36-year-old healthy, active woman a clot diagnosis was a shock and absolutely crushing. I feared I would never run again.  I have since learned I have a condition called Factor V Leiden which is a genetic blood clotting disorder. This condition places me at an increased risk of blood clots.

Prior to my clot diagnosis I was a very active runner. I completed a 3-hour endurance run (in the snow!) just 2 weeks prior to my diagnosis. My husband and I even organized a 7K run event the morning of our wedding for our family and friends. Sadly, I was not able to run the wedding event due to the clot. In the 7 months since my diagnosis I have had to learn to be patient with my body as it continues to heal. I haven’t stopped running and in fact completed a few events since my diagnosis including a half marathon in Yellowstone.

While looking for support from other athletes affected by blood clots I found The National Blood Clot Alliance and Team Stop the Clot. This group has provided me with education, guidance and encouragement as I continue to recover.

Running the New York City Marathon with Team Stop the Clot is a sure way to prove to myself and others impacted by clots that blood clot Survivors can do anything.

We are so glad that you we were able to find STOPTHECLOT.org Katie.

So glad to hear and know that you have not stopped running.

Can't wait to see where else you will be running and what barriers you will breakdown in the process

NEVER STOP GOING FORWARD!!!

Thank you for reading,

The Clot Buster