August Athlete of the Month

As we enter the month of August we are one month closer to the 2015 running of the New York City Marathon.

As such I have one more opportunity to feature another CLOT BUSTER SURVIVOR who is currently training and preparing for that magnificent race.  She will be a part of Team CLOT BUSTERS Running to STOP THE CLOT!

Please allow me introduce to you SAMANTHA LEE and her personal account below.

What is you sport/activity of choice? Why do you enjoy it? 
Running was always my choice of sports between running for my parish, Blessed Trinity, to running on the varsity soccer field for Stella Maris High School. I enjoy running because it an exciting activity between running to win or simply changing the speed of your running.

How did you get started in that sport? 
My parents placed my brothers and I in every sport possible at a young age. We ran track, played basketball, swam for the swim team, and ran on the soccer fields. We were always running it seemed. I was very blessed to have parents who cared to teach us and have us involved in both sports and education.

What is the latest milestone you achieved or plan to achieve? (Long bike ride, some race coming up or that you did) 
Over the last few months, my greatest milestones were running two half marathons. One half marathon was in central park, and the other one was in Connecticut. It was exciting to complete both half marathons.

Tells about your clotting episode.  Are you on blood thinners now? How long were you out of commission? 
Last summer, I was on vacation with my mom and Great Aunt Muriel in the Czech Republic. I began experiencing breathing difficulty in the days leading up to my hospitalization. The day before we were supposed to leave the Czech Republic, my prescribed inhaler broke. My mom and I went to a pharmacy. The pharmacist told me I would need a prescription. He said there was a lung specialist in the next building. The lung specialist took my vitals and took some blood work. An hour later, the blood work came back. The lung specialist told me that she was sending me for another test, the very test that saved my life. The lung specialist helped save my life. The doctors found a pulmonary embolism bilaterally. The doctors put me in intensive care and began treatment. I was diagnosed with DVT a few days later. I was transferred to another hospital for another procedure to treat the DVT. I was hospitalized for seventeen days. Through the love and support of my mom and Great Aunt Muriel, I never gave up hope.

When were you able to get back into your activity?  How did it feel that first time?   
It took me a few months to regain my strength. I begin working out again a little bit at a time. I was nervous the first time working out. The question was “What would I be able to do?”  Would I be able to challenge myself and work out the same way as before? Only time would tell, what would happen next?

What is your favorite piece of gear for your favorite activity? (Bike brand, running shoes, perhaps a running singlet or the Clot Buster's Running Polka-Dot Technical Shirt...) 
My sneakers are awesome. I think the pair I am wearing now is called brooks.

How much are you getting out doing your sport?  (Everyday you do some training, 2, 3, 4 times per week) 
I run at least 5-6 days a week. It feels odd if I don’t run that day. I love running, can’t you tell!! I take at least 1-2 days a week to replenish my strength and relax my muscles.

What is your favorite food?  Either generally or after a workout.  For me there is nothing better than a Chipotle Burrito.
Peanut butter and an apple is my general go to food after a workout. It’s healthy and delicious. .

If you could go some place to visit and explore, where would like to go? 
I would like to go some place with beautiful scenery and were I could run for miles on end, such as, Ireland. I have never been there but I hear it’s beautiful

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 as you got back.

If you are going through this right now, you can overcome. Please don’t give up hope. Honestly, Its rough and my story began with a doctor saying you might not survive tonight, and even with these treatments you can have complications. Guess what? I prayed and thought of my nephew back in New York. I had motivation and never loss sight of hope. Hope Prayers and Family got me through this. You can survive too!! I will not be an easy road to recovery. It’s difficult to go back to what you enjoy. But with time heals all things no matter how big or little it may be.  You must have patience even though life will be different for you. I was concerned with how my life would be, the quality of life; I survived and became a marathon runner. Keep the hope alive!!!
Indeed Samantha KEEP THE HOPE ALIVE!

Blood Clot Survivors can do Amazing Things! You are one of those overcoming the challenges and going on to be a marathoner in November.  I can't wait to see pictures of you finishing the race and show those blood clots that they cannot keep you down.

You are an inspiration not only for me but for many other.

Keep hope alive and keep on running until you can't anymore...!

Thanks for reading,

The Clot Buster

CLOT BUSTER polka-dots in ACTION some more photos...

Check out some AWESOME photos of CLOT BUSTER polka-dots in Action...

Always exciting to receive pictures because we are spreading the word to all who notices them!

Send them on and wear your polka-dots whenever possible!

 

July Athlete of the Month

Once again in 2015 the STOP THE CLOT community is fortunate to get the chance to participate in the NYC Marathon as a benefiting charity and as such for the third year running we have a team of Blood Clot Survivors, Family Members, and Friends running to celebrate survival and also spread the word.

Just like I've done in years past I feel that it is my obligation and pleasure to introduce to you some of these runners willing to stare 26.2 Miles in the eye and take it down all while wearing the #StopTheClot polka-dots so that they can spread awareness and hope to all those who need it.

I am very fortunate to have the pleasure to introduce to you one of these runners and his story of survival which he has been willing to share with all of us so that we can definitely be inspired to beat all of the odds stacked against us.

Ladies and Gentlemen >>> Mr. Phil Kean

"When I was about to turn 40 I decided to run a marathon. A friend had started running marathons when she turned 50 and I figured if she could do it I could too. My first marathon, I did everything wrong and still finished. I decided to do another and joined a local running group. This was the beginning of my running addiction. My group would run in different states and I had a blast and developed some great friendships. After I had run in a marathon in 10 states I realized that maybe I could run one on all 50 states. I recently ran my 40th marathon and I have 14 states left to accomplish this goal. I would be a little closer to my goal, but in April of 2013 I developed a Charlie horse, or so I thought, that lasted for several weeks. I continued to train in spite of the discomfort. I came home from work one day and felt very uncomfortable and had a terrible pain in my chest. I went to the ER thinking it was a heart attack. After 6 hours of tests that showed no heart problems, the doctor was going to send me home when he decided to run a cat scan and discovered the clots in my lungs. I was in the hospital for a week and sent home learning to give myself injections twice a day with clot busting drugs. Recovery was slow and I went on a blood thinner for seven months and started training for a marathon. I ran Mississippi the following January and North Carolina in April.

In September I was in South Dakota to run a marathon and had a strange, but familiar, pain in my leg so decided to go to the ER and make sure I had not developed another clot. They found nothing and the next morning I ran the marathon. I flew back to Florida and ended up in the ER with my second Pulmonary Embolism. Apparently they had missed the clot. I was in the hospital for several days and my doctor has me on blood thinners permanently. I was tested for everything and they found nothing to explain why I develop clots. My doctor said medicine doesn't know everything.

Recovery was slow again, but I continued to run and early this year I ran a marathon in Arkansas, Kentucky and Idaho. I ran in my polka dot shirt during the last two marathons and talked with other runners about my story.

On November 1st, I am running the NYC marathon to raise money and awareness for team stop the clot. I am planning to put the names as a tribute to those who have shared their clot stories of loved one who didn't survive. They are all tragic and most were preventable. Knowledge is the key.

The best thing about having the two PE's and surviving is that life is much more balanced. I don't worry about the things I can't change. I surround myself with awesome people. I started traveling to places on my bucket list. And Last year I bought a tiny apartment in NYC and I run in Central Park whenever I can."

Please take some time and make your way to Phil's Fundraising page... he is doing an INCREDIBLE job with several months to go before the race so his fundraising totals will continue to climb... Can't to see how well he does... here the link for your reference and use...

https://www.crowdrise.com/StopTheClot2015NYCMarathon/fundraiser/philipkean

Here is hoping that Phil can in fact complete his goal of running a marathon in all 50 states... SIMPLY REMARKABLE and INSPIRING!!!

Don't stop now Phil. 

The entire blood clotting survivor community is cheering you on!

Thanks for reading,

The Clot Buster

CLOT SURVIVOR is once again WIMBELDON WOMEN's TENNIS CHAMPION

Blood Clot Survivors CAN DO ANYTHING!

Even at the highest levels of Women's Tennis a Blood Clot Survivor continues to dominate and could in fact make history...

CONGRATULATIONS SERENA WILLIAMS!

She is two slam overall wins away from making history.

It is certainly inspiring to see her continue to play and compete when we all know, within our community, that the outcome of going down with PE's could have been very different.

As I posted back in March of 2011 (http://clot-buster-triathlete.blogspot.com/2011/03/march-athlete-of-month.html) it is my hope that someday we will see Serena compete in some sort of red polka-dot gear to not only celebrate her survival but also the many thousands of others out there going through the very same thing she went through in 2011.

Blood Clot Survivors CAN IN FACT DO ANYTHING!

Thanks for reading,

The Clot Buster

June Athlete of the Month

Support Groups are a very powerful tool to help anyone overcome the challenges of clotting incidents.

I can't get enough of the interaction clot survivors have with one another as their attempt to navigate the obstacles they share.

Blood Clot Survivor groups in Facebook or through STOPTHECLOT.org can provide incredible insight that is capable of pulling individuals out of deep-dark holes of fear and intimidation that a blood clot diagnosis can bring.

Many of the Athletes I have had the honor of featuring on this blog come from those existing support groups and June's Athlete of the Month is another individual with a remarkable story that is worth sharing.  Many of us can learn something from the words written below as they are closely associated to a personal experience which does not have a quantifiable value as it relates to the wisdom it brings.

Please allow me to introduce to you CHUCK BANKS who is the JUNE ATHLETE OF THE MONTH and who is presently battling the rigors of training for his last marathon which will be his 30th... simply put a fantastic nice round number in which to stop running the long distances and perhaps find something else to keep him fit...

Please read on and enjoy!

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

Running. Not lifting. Not stretching. Not cross training. No sports that require left or right or sudden start and stop movements. Just straight ahead steadily until done. Always outdoors - treadmills are medieval devices of last resort. And glad the question was sport of choice and not one I like to do. I hate running but I love being a runner and grateful for all it does for me physically and mentally. That said whether a run is five, fifteen or fifty miles I have never ever wished it was longer. I love being done and I love the day in between runs when I get to rest on my laurels (and keister).

2)  How did you get started in that sport?

Broke a bone in my foot playing basketball in the Army while living in Germany in 1981. Took up running to stay in shape. Read the Jim Fixx books, enjoyed running through vineyards and here I am!

3)  What is the latest milestone you achieved or plan to achieve?(Long bike ride, some race coming up or that you did)

Just finished running 15 miles in preparation for the Marine Corps Marathon this fall - my seventh MCM and 30th ( and final) marathon. My career highlight - completing the JFK 50 miler two years ago and hugging my wife at the finish. Given my medical mess over the past year every run is a step forward in the road to recovery.

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

Despite successful surgery for tongue cancer last summer, hereditary factors and poor nursing care landed me back in the emergency room and a better hospital five days after discharge. Lungs to legs "severe" clotting. Although in pain from the throat surgery I was actually relieved to have excellent nursing care and encouraging, supportive treatment in the hospital.  My INR stabilized in four days and while the staff apologized for wanting to keep me a fifth day to make sure, I had no problem with it. Amazing what good medical professionals can do for your soul. Eleven months later I'm still on Coumoudin (3mg) and my hematologist wants to take me off to see what happens, without an updated ultrasound. I refused. Looking for a new doctor now.

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

After six weeks on Coumoudin I was given the green light to resume running, provided I eased into it. I started by walking a mile, then two. Suited up in my running clothes and GPS watch and moved out. Honestly, I used to secretly ridicule fit looking people who were walking when they should have been running. I don't do that anymore. First, who knows their story, and why they're walking? Maybe they, too, are recovering from an illness I can't see. Second,  just getting outdoors and soaking up the sights and sounds of the footpaths through my neighborhood boosted my mood tremendously. Before that I sat on my deck for hours wallowing in the uncertainty of my failing body. Walking made me feel alive, and I realized if I never ran again but could walk for an hour, I would be okay. Last, I realized that I am such a slow runner, my brisk walking pace wasn't all that slower than running, and my heart rate monitor told me I was working almost as hard! Now that I'm running again I always wave to the walkers I meet, not just the runners. I wished they would wave back more. I really sincerely appreciate their effort.

6)  What is your favorite piece of gear for your favorite activity? (Bike brand, running shoes, perhaps a running singlet or the Clot Buster's Running Polka-Dot Technical Shirt...)

(Editor's Note = Perhaps getting his very own CLOT BUSTER #StopTheClot polka-dot shirt shortly in the mail may swing his decision on question #6.  Surely he is waiting to receive it to make sure it make me him look fast...)

7)  How much are you getting out doing your sport?  (Everyday you do some training, 2, 3, 4 times per week)

I'm running three times a week, preparing for a marathon much as I did before the clots. On bad days my thigh and calf hurt from the clots. Stockings help a great deal. Not sure what I will do in the heat. Calf sleeves worked for my 15 miler last weekend.

8)   What is your favorite food?

There is no more perfect pre-race food that the unfairly criticized Pop Tart.  Has all the nutrients of a Cliff Bar and doesn't taste like mulch.

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

Antarctica. With my daughter. She wants to see all seven continents and will reach six with her Australia trip this summer. Had the doctors given me really bad news on the tongue cancer, I would have booked us immediately. Tied really with New Orleans with my adult sons. Have to admit the music and the booze with my boys would be sweet.

10)  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 as you got back.

Reading others' stories tells me we all came from different places with our fitness and hobbies before our illnesses, and we have different experiences and severity of misery. That said, we all want relief from the physical pain and uncertainty, and hope that we will return to what we once were. We don't want to be scared and we want clarity on what is happening to us and what we can do about it. I haven't cracked the code by any means but I do think there's value in revisiting what our priorities are and what "healthy" means.  My clots were put into perspective by my cancer. I worried so much about dying from cancer my clots were a serious nuisance  and setback, but not fatal. That said, on bad running days I am convinced clots are breaking loose and racing north to kill me. I can be melodramatic.  My advice is simple. Find medical professionals you trust and do what they tell you. Say yes when friends and family offer to help. Pursue every avenue to ease your mind - prayer, meditation, comedy, song, writing, television, volunteer. Endless pondering on the misery and unfairness of it all will leave you feeling, well, miserable and like a victim.  Limit your internet research on the illness or you will become a hypochondriac like me. Soak up all the blessings around you and take absolutely nothing for granted. Our lives have changed but they are not over.  Move forward as best you can and appreciate progress, no matter how small.  And remember that we are now extended family and hopes and fears no one else may understand will be understood here.

Well said Chuck!

I very much love the advise you are providing on Question #10. 

I am looking forward to see ample coverage of you throwing down with the 26.2 Miles on your final marathon.  Your extended CLOT BUSTER family will be rooting for you. 

Never stop doing whatever is that you love doing despite the challenges ahead of you!

Thank you for reading,

The Clot Buster 

May Athlete of the Month

If you know me at you would know that I am a sports fan. 

If there is a good sporting event on I am willing to watch. Of course I have my preferences but sport is sport and I enjoy them all.

I suppose I got this love of sports from my mother and it become increasingly evident on the last couple of weeks while my mother and father came over to visit us. You see my mother watched every available sporting event on TV.  From professional tennis to hockey playoffs to NBA playoffs. 

Although I enjoy sports I cannot keep up with her intensity.

During her visit I was re-introduced to the NBA playoffs and we even got into arguments as to who would win the series between Cleveland and Chicago.

Making this connection to the NBA again reminded me of recent news regarding of an all star player cutting his season short because of blood clots in his lung.

If you are familiar with the MIAMI HEAT then you know about CHRIS BOSH and he too now, despite of all of his basketball success, is a BLOOD CLOT SURVIVOR.

 

Although his season was cut short because of his blood clotting incident he is expected to make a full recovery and be ready for the 2016 season.

No question that he will return to full action but for sure this was a scary moment for him and his family.

Once again the take home message here is that blood clots can indeed AFFECT ANYONE at ANYTIME.

Knowing the signs and symptoms can save your life and you are your own first line of defense.

Read on @ STOPTHECLOT.org for basic info that can prove useful.

Don't become a statistic!

Thank you for reading,

The Clot Buster

STOP THE CLOT @ The Cap City Half-Marathon and Expo!

WONDERFUL Experience to be a part of this weekend.

MANY THANKS to the kind folks with M3Sports for letting us participate to create awareness.

During the expo and during the race we made a difference.

Here is looking forward to next year and another opportunity to reach out to more people and get more folks to wear the #StopTheClot polka-dots!

April Athlete of the Month

Finally April!

Spring is coming along...

Weather is warming up...

And we are less than a month away from the CAPITAL CITY HALF-MARATHON in which TEAM STOP THE CLOT will be participating as we attempt to create awareness against blood clots and blood clotting disorders via our #STOPTHECLOT polka-dots.

I am very excited that our team of SURVIVORS and FRIENDS/FAMILY of SURVIVORS is coming together.  The red polka-dots will be running along the various available distances showing to all that we need to be aware of the deadly clots.
One of the participants on our team will be LYNSEY FUGATE who is coming all the way from Kansas City, MO to join us.

I can only hope to keep up with this speedy lady during 13.1 Miles of the event and I will have even less of a chance if her brother paces her... I will be glad to see Lynsey's #StopTheClot polka-dots from the back... I mean the way back!

Even after a year it is hard for me to believe the news of Lynsey being diagnosed with PE's... But I am thrilled to know that she has rebounded incredibly and ready to join us for this event.  Please read on to learn more about Lynsey and her story of survival...

THANK YOU LYNSEY for your willingness to share your story!

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

• I was a competitive swimmer since I was 7, but then after college, I got sucked into Triathlons. I always thought my two older brothers were crazy for doing an Ironman and thought I would NEVER EVER be crazy enough to do one of those. Well…I guess I am crazy because that is my favorite distance of triathlon. Not fun to train for sometimes, but I sure as heck can’t sprint (even though in triathlon an hour or more event is a sprint).
   
• I mostly enjoy participating in triathlon because it brings my family close and is something we can all relate to. I also enjoy it because it forces me to be in shape, to strive to be the best I can and to train hard every day. I feel that swimming and triathlon has shaped me for whom I am today competitively, professionally and personally.

How did you get started in that sport? 

• I wouldn’t be into Triathlon if it weren’t for my two older brothers, Bryan and Chris. They always excelled at what they did and I have always followed in their footsteps just trying to keep up. I feel that I have an advantage with having them in the sport in front of me because they can iron out all the kinks and I reap the benefits including how to train, when to rest, nutrition, what to do in off season etc. I would have NO IDEA what I was doing without them.

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

• I would have to say my most recent milestone would have to be finishing Ironman Arizona in November 2014. Although it was not my best race and not my first Ironman, it made me confident that I could get back into the gist of things after my PE in April 2014. I really wanted to be able to do Ironman Louisville 2014 with my brothers, but just didn’t have enough time to train (for MY body anyway), so that was disappointing.

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

• From the beginning: I had noticed I had been having some very quick heart palpitations  as I would be training in 2013 and it would be off and on and didn’t bother me that much because it didn’t happen too often. I decided I would wait until after Ironman Arizona (2013) that November to get checked. Well, I was hard headed and didn’t worry about it and started training again for the next year. The palpitations started coming on more often and lasting longer. I then decided to go to the cardiologist.

• I went through a lot of testing and they finally figured out that I had what was called “SVT” which is short for Supraventricular Tachycardia. This is something that is quite common; however, I was told that most people don’t ever notice because they don’t get their heart rate high enough. Anyway, I had to have a cardiac ablation (basically cauterizing the extra electrodes I was born with so that my heart would beat normally). This is also a very common procedure and the cardiologist said that I could get back to training in one week! I did make sure he knew what “training” meant for me. Aka: Hard core pushing myself to the limit. He still told me everything would be ok. I was excited that it wasn’t that big of a deal. 

• I went home the next morning with 6 pin hole incisions in the groin area with no issues (or so I thought). Two days later, I had a little soreness in my chest with breathing in deep. Didn’t think anything of it, just thought it was part of recovery. The next day it got worse and I was very short of breath with walking very short distances. One of my friends who is a nurse told me that she was worried it could be a PE. ME? No! Well? Maybe? I went to the ER the next day and they found a clot in my lungs.  Thank God for her telling me!

• I was on Xarelto (blood thinner) for 3 months (I think…it has been a year now) and then got my blood re-tested and am off of it for good now. I would recommend having a primary care doctor to follow up with because I didn’t have one and I had to take control and follow up on my own with a hematologist. I was cleared to start working out “hard” again two weeks following my PE in April of 2014. I decided myself to only train on my trainer and not on my bike outside to reduce risk of a crash while on blood thinners. I thought I would get back to normal pretty quickly. Man was I mistaken. I was really tired and was short of breath pretty easily when I first got back into it. It took me a good six months to get back to where I could say I was prior to surgery. I actually lost my drive to even want to exercise and train which is 100% abnormal for me because I love competing. At this time, I didn’t think I would ever get back to where I was, I was pretty depressed, but kept with it and kept training hard. My brother Bryan was always my rock and would help me with training when I got worried about something. When I hit November, I was probably in the best shape I had ever been, but come race day, it just wasn’t my day. I think it was just a bad day with no rhyme or reason, everyone has those days and this was mine.  At least I finished. I am now training for IMAZ again for 2015. Here we go!!

• Oh…what I failed to mention was that on my training journey since my blood clot, I have had random pains in my chest and feeling that I may have a blood clot again, but it always turned out to be nothing. I think this happens a lot with people with history of DVT or PE (at least I have read this).

What is your favorite piece of gear for your favorite activity? (Bike brand, running shoes, perhaps a running singlet or the Clot Buster's Running Polka-Dot Technical Shirt...) 

• I don’t really have a favorite piece of gear, but it all has to be yellow on race day. I am obsessed, but at least my family can find me.

How much are you getting out doing your sport?  (Everyday you do some training, 2, 3, 4 times per week) 

• I am just now getting back into training after my last Ironman, but when I am in training, it is 7 days a week with a rest day here and there.

What is your favorite food?  Either generally or after a workout.  For me there is nothing better than a Chipotle Burrito...

• I usually crave a cheeseburger after a good workout.

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

• I would like to go to Italy because that is where my ancestors are from. Always wanted to go to Egypt… not anymore

What would like to say to someone who is going through a clotting episode, perhaps very similar to yours?   

• I would say stick with your goals and don’t give up, especially on the days where you feel so tired and have pains. You will make it through. I always tell my patient’s that anything traumatic that happens to your body, it takes about a year to heal, so be patient. I know, easier said than done.

 

How can people return to do what they enjoy? Tells about your concerns and what you look out after as you got back.

• Start out short and easy activity and gradually build up. It is helpful to wear a heart rate monitor or take your heart rate manually to make sure you aren’t going to hard. Stop when you think you are struggling, otherwise you will get burnt out. You will get it back; just look at all the other stories.

So here is hoping that during the Capital City Half-Marathon and many others races down the road we will see Lynsey wearing the red polka-dots instead of her regular yellow.  I am just saying that the polka-dots will be just as lucky if not more than the yellow...!

Looking forward to see Lynsey continue to overcome and improve on her performance from last year's IMAZ.  Very inspiring to see what blood clot survivors are capable of regardless of the physical challenges.

NEVER STOP!

Thanks for reading,

The Clot Buster
 

See polka-dots, Say "Hello" and Learn about STOPTHECLOT...

See polka-dots, Say "Hello" and Learn about STOPTHECLOT.org

Team STOPTHECLOT.org is coming together for the May2nd CAPITAL CITY HALF-MARATHON

 

Very excited to have survivors, supporting family members, and supporting friends getting ready to take on the challenge of the various distances we will be racing on May 2nd.

 Looking forward to spread the word about STOPHECLOT both during the pre-race expo and during race day!

 

See you there!

 

Thanks for reading - The Clot Buster!

 

See polka-dots, Say "Hello" and Learn about STOPTHECLOT.org

March Athlete of the Month

MARCH = DVT / BLOOD CLOT AWARENESS MONTH

Finally March has arrived!

Many positives come from the arrival of this month.

Possibly the weather will start to improve so that it is "more reasonable"...

Possibly my furnace will stop running trying to keep up with the cold...

Definitely it is time to think about what events will see the CLOT BUSTER #StopTheClot polka-dots this spring and summer...

Definitely it is time to spread the word about blood clots and blood clotting disorders, celebrate blood clot survivors, and remember those who we lost due to blood clots since March is DVT / Blood Clot Awareness Month!

During this month (and pretty much every other month of the year) it is my GREAT PLEASURE to celebrate blood clot survivors by sharing their story because they are simply inspiring and they can teach us so much about overcoming challenges and achieve the impossible.

This month's featured Athlete of the Month is BECKY COMPTON who has been gracious enough to share her story as she prepares to participate in the Cap City Quarter Marathon race as a member of Team StopTheClot!  Please read on Becky's story as she shared with me...

" 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.

June 30, 2006 After several Afib episodes I have a Afib ablation that was unsuccessful and sent home.

July 3, 2006 For three days I just wanted to sleep, decide to call my PCP, I see my usual NP tell her my symptoms and even ask if I could have a Pulmonary Embolism ( I am a CT Tech and work in a Medical Center), she throws her head back and laughs and says People your age do not get PE’s. I was 31 at the time. I go home.

July 5, 2006 I continue to be more short of breath and go to the Emergency Room, within 30 minutes I am diagnosed with a PE, put on Heparin moved to ICU and told that if Tim McGraw would not have cancelled his concert and I would have gone I would have died. (3 months away from work)

For another year between my PCP and Cardiologist I was called fat, out of shape, and blamed for continued shortness of breath and leg swelling and the initial miss of the pulmonary embolism.

September 2007 The day I passed out at work and a local cardiologist who had heard my story offered his services.  Dr M Studeny asked for two weeks to figure out my situation, it took him four days.  May Thurners Syndrome was diagnosed I found a new PCP Dr B Allan who never hesitated to take me or all my issues.

June 2008 Dr Korona ballooned my iliac veins in January 2008 but they collapsed so I had bilateral iliac vein stents placed.

January 2010 I started Pulmonary Rehabilitation because I had multiple hospital stays due to asthma which I could not shake, my lungs were not strong, I completed program and graduated.

I started walking 5ks however I wanted more

Late 2013 Marshall Recreation Center, a public gym on the campus of Marshall University, I found a trainer who would train me, treated me like every other client and member.  Took my history of PE’s May Thurners Syndrome Asthma and Coumadin and said lets get started.

I found four trainers and a gym who only encouraged me who treated me like every other member; I run I lift I do circuits and they push me every day. They also write letters to my PCP of my progress and keep up with my INR.  Stronger and more confident every day.

I have my life back I work full time as a CT Tech at St Marys Medical Center, I am a Hospice of Huntington, World Changer, Street Ministry and Special Olympic volunteer. I am a daughter, sister and proud to say a new #STOPTHECLOT member.

If you are reading this I want you to follow your heart, find a team of doctors who care about you and want to see you succeed and you are going to be stronger after your clots, always inspire people and be your best.

I want to finish by thanking God, my parents and brother David, My Team Dr Allan, Dr Bir Dr Korona Dr Ottaviano, and Dr Studeny,  and four amazing trainers Abe Koroma, Desiree Gibbs, Micaiah Branch and Chris Lane. All the above are my family now and will never realize how much they mean to me."

Becky - We are so glad that you are coming out to race with us and wear the CLOT BUSTER #StopTheClot polka-dots to celebrate your come back and spread the word about blood clots and blood clotting disorders.

Here is looking forward to share the race course with you!

Never ever stop!

Thanks for reading,

The Clot Buster

February Athlete of the Month

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