Those of you who know me know that I am not one for hyperbole. So believe me when I say that, six months ago, my life changed forever.
It started with a small twinge in my lower back. Nothing I hadn’t felt before. In fact, it felt a lot like the bouts of sciatica I’d had in the past, so that’s how I treated it. Within a few days, however, that small twinge spiraled into the inability to walk, multiple ER visits, and a hospitalization and surgery to attempt to remove a massive amount of blood clots that had formed from just below my kidneys and continued down both legs. Doctors have told me I’m lucky to be alive, and, because of what they found, that I was a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.
The official diagnosis is massive bilateral DVTs, caused by a combination of a genetic blood clotting disorder and a congenital defect called IVC Atresia, which means the vein meant to return blood from my lower body never fully developed, stranding it in my legs with nowhere to go.
I’m literally standing here today because of the clinical teams at Southern Hills Medical Center, Summit Medical Center, Tennessee Oncology and The Surgical Clinic. Their expert care, and the unyielding support of my family (especially my wife, who never left my side) got me through the darkest period of my life so far.
I had to learn to walk again. And on the weekend of October 10, 2026, I am walking a virtual 5k in support of the National Blood Clot Alliance, which has become a source of great comfort and support since my diagnosis. There are a lot of unanswered questions, even with the best of care, after a blood clot diagnosis. The NBCA provides awareness and resources to blood clot survivors and their communities to help make sense of what living with a blood clot diagnosis looks like.
You don’t have to do a thing. But if you feel so inclined to join me by registering to walk as well, or to donate to my personal fundraiser, it would mean a lot.
