DENISE

I got to spend last night with Toni, Cheri and Denise, some girlfriends who I love to hang out with. Every time we get together we spend a lot of time laughing, talking, laughing, eating, and laughing some more. Did I mention we laugh a lot? None of us live in the same town. In fact, we cover three states between the four of us. So we only get to visit a few times a year.

Four friends getting their picture taken by a very friendly and cooperative stranger. Notice I'm wearing my Sachi bag?

This particular visit was to send Denise off on a trip. It's no vacation though. She's going to be checking into a hospital tomorrow morning to spend three days in the ICU with an IV dripping meds in her that another hospital wouldn't do give her for more than 15 minutes because it's considered too dangerous. She's stuck between a rock and a hard place - do nothing and risk having blood clots kill her or do a very risky treatment that has worked for some others with her diagnosis. Here's what she has said online, including a link for information. Please note that the links she mentions are accessible from the Facebook page she has dedicated to her journey with her illness. If you would like access to that page, then I'll give you her contact info.

I am including links with information on DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) and PE (Pulmonary Embolism). The fact is that I was in the best condition of my life when all of a sudden I found myself critically ill. I was doing regular weight training, was in training for a marathon, had excellent nutrition, and was living a very healthy and active lifestyle. I did not have the stereotypical risk factors yet I got what the doctors describe as an acute and massive case of solid blood clots from my pelvis to my ankle. In that process a rare anatomical disorder was also identified, May-Thurner Syndrome which is where the artery compresses the iliac vein. In my case my iliac vein had been completely crushed. I am extremely blessed and grateful to still be alive.

While I lived a healthy lifestyle, in hindsight having the knowledge that I do now on simple actions of prevention, risk factors, and the symptoms of identifying a problem would have very likely prevented me from getting this 'sick'. As a result I will deal with this condition for the rest of my life.

Please educate yourselves regarding DVT and PE. If this can happen to me, it can happen to ANYONE. It has no limits of age, gender or race.

Several articles by multiple sources and statistics indicate that DVT kills more people every year than breast cancer and AIDS combined. Many people die instantly without a chance to fight it. By God's grace I do have that chance and am fighting. Good health should never be taken for granted. On that note, I have been told by multiple doctors that the fact that I was in good health and condition when this happened that it 'paid it forward' regarding my surviving so far and the extreme of the disability I am facing being less than what it would have been. You never know when you are going to need your health and strength in a time of trauma, that was encouragement to me to continue to be as healthy as possible.

Are YOU at risk for DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis - aka BLOOD CLOTS) & PE (Pulmonary Embolism - aka clots that go to your lungs, heart, brain)?Are you SURE?

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Can you be praying for her over the next few days? I'd love for her to be one of the few that survive this diagnosis and to go on with life free of blood clots! I'll be sure to give an update later in the week.

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Making the best of a lousy situation, "The Clotter" gets to ride in style through Target because walking is slow and painful. I'm pretty sure we're the only shoppers in our 30s and 40s who have someone riding in the cart, which would be why the guy behind us is gawking.

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