New Patient Stories Further Illustrate Need for Awareness

August 14, 2015

Six new stories showcase the seriousness of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Each experience illustrates how VTE can affect anyone, including those who are otherwise healthy, and emphasizes the need to know signs and symptoms of a potetially deadly blood clot. Read the stories to learn more and contact us if you or someone you know has a story to share.

  • Marie-Victoire Cumming, an athletic 27-year-old from South Africa, suffered a DVT which moved to her lungs to form a PE after breaking her ankle during an obstacle course. A hospital associated-VTE, Marie-Victoire’s case underscores the fact that up to 60 percent of VTE cases occur during or after hospitalization. Read more.
  • Janice Johnson, a 57-year-old from the United States, also suffered from a hospital-associated VTE after breaking her arm and shoulder. Just prior being released from the hospital, doctors discovered a life-threatening PE. Had she returned home, she may have died. Read more
  • Tonya Lockwood, from the United States, was just 38 when she suffered from multiple PEs. It took weeks before doctors were able to diagnose the life-threatening condition. Her only risk factor was that she was using birth control at the time. Read more.
  • Suely Rezende, a 45-year-old medical doctor from Brazil, suffered a pulmonary embolism after a cross-Atlantic flight. Fortunately, Suely specializes in thrombotic diseases because local paramedics misdiagnosed her condition at first. Read more.
  • Katie Projansky, of the United States, died of a PE at age 36 after doctors were unable to diagnose her condition. Katie was seven weeks pregnant at the time of her death, a common risk factor for developing blood clots. Read more.  
  • Emma Peters*, of the Netherlands, suffered a hospital-associated DVT and PE at age 29 after breaking a bone in her foot. Doctors gave her a preventative dose of blood thinners, but she still formed a clot due to other risk factors. She had a genetic condition that made her susceptible to form blood clots and she was also using contraception at the time. Read more

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