Young, Healthy, and at Risk: These Patient Stories Show Blood Clots Don’t Discriminate
Blood clots don’t discriminate by age, race, or other factors. They can affect healthy young adults, new mothers, cancer survivors, and others. Yet many people still think of blood clots as a condition that primarily affects older adults.
That misconception can be dangerous. Venous thromboembolism (VTE), which includes deep vein thrombosis (DVT) — a blood clot in a vein in the leg or arm — and pulmonary embolism (PE) — a blood clot in the lungs — affects approximately one million Americans each year and is associated with up to 100,000 deaths.1,2 VTE is the leading cause of preventable death in hospitalized patients,3 yet about half of PE patients are misdiagnosed in the inpatient setting,4 and about one in four patients experience delays in diagnosis.5
“As physicians, we need to remember that blood clots don’t always follow the textbook profile,” said James F. Benenati, MD, FSIR, chief medical officer at Penumbra. “Because symptoms can be non-specific, maintaining a high level of vigilance is essential, even in younger patients who may not initially appear to be at increased risk for VTE.”
No two blood clot stories are exactly alike. The following patient stories show how differently VTE can affect people and why recognizing symptoms early is so important.
Richard: He Had to Fake a Heart Attack to Get the Care He Needed
For most of his life, Richard lived with a hidden risk. An inherited clotting disorder called Factor V Leiden made him more susceptible to blood clots, and over the years he experienced multiple episodes of DVT and PE. Years after his first PE, familiar symptoms returned while he was attending a conference.
When he arrived at the emergency department, however, he felt his condition was not being taken seriously. Desperate for immediate care, Davis faked a heart attack, which may have saved his life. “If I was not aware of the seriousness of my condition, I may have died in the ER waiting room,” he said.
Today, Richard shares his story to remind others that PE symptoms shouldn’t be ignored. “The patient understands the history of their condition. We are the experts of our own bodies, and that matters,” he said.
Elizabeth: A Young Mother’s Close Call
At 27 years old, Elizabeth was focused on preparing for the arrival of her fourth child. Then one morning, at 31 weeks pregnant, something felt different. “It was like something was sitting on me,” Elizabeth recalled. “I was trying to tell myself I was having a panic attack or something.”
Concerned but unsure of what was happening, she asked her husband to come home from work. The moment he saw her, he insisted she go to the emergency room. “He just knew something was wrong,” Elizabeth said, “which saved my life.”
Doctors quickly discovered a pulmonary embolism. When doctors asked her to sign paperwork authorizing an emergency C-section if needed, the gravity of the situation became clear. “That hit me like a ton of bricks and kind of put it in perspective, like, this is really happening,” she said. “It kind of broke my heart, to be honest.”
Elizabeth underwent treatment using Penumbra’s computer-assisted vacuum thrombectomy (CAVT®) technology. The results were almost immediate. “I felt everything come off me,” she recalled. “Within minutes, I felt like myself again and the relief that I felt was amazing.” A few months later, Elizabeth delivered a healthy baby boy.
“Pregnant or not, it can happen to you, even if you think it can’t,” she said. “I was 27. I thought I was great. It can happen to you.”
Karen: The Risk Doesn’t Always End When Treatment Does
Karen began experiencing blood clots during an already difficult battle with cancer — a journey that revealed just how much she, like many patients, didn’t fully understand the risks she faced.
During her treatment for colon cancer, multiple threats converged. “There were two risk factors that I wasn’t aware of,” Karen recalls. The first was a bleeding risk from her chemotherapy, and the other was a blood clot risk from a medication she’d been taking since battling breast cancer years earlier. While hospitalized and confined to bed for a week, Karen received leg compressions, a precaution to help prevent blood clots, that were unfortunately applied inconsistently.
Back home, Karen tried to make breakfast for her kids. Within minutes, something felt wrong. “My body was so weak and so heavy, I couldn’t even scramble the eggs,” she remembers. Acting on instinct, she called her husband and insisted on going to the ER — an action she believes saved her life.
She was diagnosed with a saddle pulmonary embolism. Karen now connects the dots between her immobility, treatment risks, and missed preventative measures.
“I wish I would have known to advocate for myself and say, ‘no, I need you to put these compressions back on my legs,’” she said.
“Anybody can get a blood clot. It doesn’t matter your age, your size, your color, or anything. Anyone can get it,” said Karen.
Karen has turned her experience as a survivor into advocacy. Through her work with the National Blood Clot Alliance and the B.L.A.C.K. (Black Lives Advocating for Clot Knowledge) Church Bus Tour she helps people recognize the signs, understand their risks, and seek care.
Awareness Can Make the Difference
Richard, Karen, and Elizabeth have very different stories, but they share a common reality: none fit the stereotype many people associate with blood clots. VTE can affect people of all ages and backgrounds.
If you experience symptoms of a blood clot, such as swelling, pain, increased warmth or redness in the affected area, seek medical attention right away.6,7 If you experience PE symptoms, such as, shortness of breath, chest pain or discomfort, rapid, or irregular heartbeat, dizziness or coughing up blood, call 9-1-1.6,7
While anyone can develop VTE, several factors can increase risk:8
- Injury to a vein
- Major surgery or hospitalization
- Extended periods of immobility
- Certain chronic conditions, including heart disease, lung disease, cancer and its treatment, and inflammatory bowel disease.
- Increased estrogen, from contraceptives, hormone replacement therapy, or from pregnancy
- Family history of clotting or previous DVT or PE
Recognizing the symptoms, understanding the risk factors, and seeking care quickly can make all the difference.
RELATED: White Paper — VTE Care at a Crossroads: Today’s Challenges and Tomorrow’s Breakthroughs
Important Safety Information
Additional information about Penumbra’s products can be located on Penumbra’s website at https://www.penumbrainc.com/products/peripheral-thrombectomy-cavt/. Caution: Federal (USA) law restricts these devices to sale by or on the order of a physician. Prior to use, please refer to Instructions for Use for complete product indications, contraindications, warnings, precautions, potential adverse events, and detailed instructions for use. Risk information can be found at peninc.info/risk.
The clinical results presented herein are for informational purposes only, and may not be predictive for all patients. Individual results may vary depending on patient-specific attributes and other factors.
Copyright ©2026 Penumbra, Inc. All rights reserved. CAVT is a registered trademark or trademark of Penumbra, Inc. in the USA and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
1. Virani, S.S. et al. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics-2021 Update: A Report From the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2021 February;143(8);e254-e743.
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023, June). Impact of Blood Clots on the United States Infographic. National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD). https://www.cdc.gov/blood-clots/toolkit/impact-of-blood-clots.html?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/dvt/infographic-impact.html. Accessed Oct. 9, 2026.
3. Al-Hameed FM. Venous thromboembolism prophylaxis: Solutions are in our hands. Ann Thorac Med. 2011 Jul;6(3):105-6. doi: 10.4103/1817-1737.82434. PMID: 21760838; PMCID: PMC3131749.
4. Kwok, C.S. et al. Misdiagnosis of pulmonary embolism and missed pulmonary embolism: A systematic review of the literature. Health Sci Rev. 2022 June;3;100022
5. van Maanen, R. et al. A systematic review and meta-analysis of diagnostic delay in pulmonary embolism. Eur J Gen Pract. 2022 June;28(1);165-172
6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, May). About Venous Thromboembolism (Blood Clots). https://www.cdc.gov/blood-clots/about/index.html. Accessed October 5, 2026.
7. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Venous Thromboembolism; Pulmonary Embolism (PE). https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/pulmonary-embolism. Last updated September 19, 2022. Accessed February 25, 2025.
8. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, May). Understanding Your Risk for Healthcare-Associated VTE (Blood Clots). https://www.cdc.gov/blood-clots/risk-factors/ha-vte.html. Accessed March 19, 2025.
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