Michelle Marie Health & Wellness

Cycle to Stop the Clot®

Tomorrow, March 1st,  marks the first day of National Blood Clot Awareness Month which really hits home for my family and I….

In 2003, my dad suffered from a Pulmonary Embolism and luckily survived.  While he is now able to live normally, he will take Coumadin, a blood thinner, every day for the rest of his life.  Due to the risks associated with blood thinners, he now must think twice about certain activities and live a little more cautiously.  My dad was fortunate enough to be treated in Boston by one of the best specialist in this field, who ran extensive testing to figure out what caused his embolism. It was discovered that my dad had a genetic blood disorder, Factor II (prothrombin)
mutation G20210A. This meant that his blood was thicker than usual; making him more susceptible to blood clots. Because Factor II (prothrombin) mutation G20210A is genetic, my sister and I were tested immediately. Women have to be especially careful as female hormones can also increase your risk to form a clot.  We both tested positive for the same genetic disorder.  Although we do not have to take blood thinners, we do have to live life with a little more caution and be totally aware of all the signs and symptoms of blood clots; especially during times of pregnancy.

The National Blood Clot Alliance (NBCA) is a 501(c)(3), non-profit, voluntary health organization dedicated to advancing the prevention, early diagnosis and successful treatment of life-threatening blood clots such as deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and clot-provoked stroke.  It is our hope by hosting this event, Cycle to Stop The Clot®, we can raise awareness and funds to prevent blood clots while educating others about the signs and symptoms of this all too common silent killer.

Blood clots (often called Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) or Pulmonary Embolism (PE) and clot-provoked strokes are very serious medical conditions. The Surgeon General estimates that blood clots affect as many as 600,000 Americans, resulting in 100,000 deaths each year. More fatalities are caused by blood clots each year than breast cancer, AIDS, and auto accidents combined!  In fact, blood clots are also the number one cause of preventable hospital deaths.

There is cause for serious concern, but there is also good news! Many blood clots can be prevented by understanding the risk factors, signs and symptoms. Your generosity and participation in this event helps the National Blood Clot Alliance get the message out and save lives!

Cycle to Stop the Clot®
Saturday April 9th 2016
3-4pm with adult refreshments afterwards

Sign up here & if you can’t make it or want to make any additional donations, they can be placed on the CrowdRise page:
https://www.crowdrise.com/CycletoStoptheClot

Please utilize the CrowdRise page as a platform to start your own fundraising efforts if you feel compelled to do so; but absolutely not required at all! There will be prizes for those who raise the most money $!