My name is Elizabeth. The 24th of September 2023 is the day I almost died. I had just turned 26 years old.

Inside my lungs, there were extensive blood clots, causing damage to my lungs and heart.

Blood clots happen when clotted blood makes blockages in the bloodstream. This usually starts in the leg (deep vein thrombosis), and becomes life threatening when the blood clot moves to organs like the brain, lungs, or heart. In the lungs, these are referred to as pulmonary embolisms. Blood clots lead to heart attacks, organ damage, stroke, and death.

For about 1/4 people who experience a pulmonary embolism, the first symptom is sudden death. For me, the only sign was a stubborn shortness of breath and fatigue. One morning, I began to go into heart failure and slipped in and out of consciousness. My mum noticed that something was wrong and rang an ambulance. Without this, I would have had no chance of survival.

Thankfully, the doctors and other health professionals were well educated on blood clots, so they knew exactly what to do.

1/20 people will have a venous thromboembolism (VTE) during their lifetime.

10-30% of people affected by DVT/PE will die within one month of diagnosis.

Recovery took a very long time, but I am now definitely ready to do something to help other people who experience this illness. This July, I will be running 10K alongside my partner, Ethan, to fundraise for Thrombosis UK. This is the first time either of us have run 10K !!!

Your donation will help to spread awareness of blood clot treatment and prevention, by educating the public and health professionals and also funding research into the condition.

Please join us for this journey and educate yourselves, you never know when you or a loved one will need this information!

Thank you so much! See you soon:)

Visit https://thrombosisuk.org/ for critical information about blood clots.

12/05 Update: Thank you so much to those who have donated already! We have created a social media account (@talk_about_clots) on instagram as part of this project to help spread awareness and information for the duration of this fundraiser. Please support us over there by following us and sharing the information with your loved ones.