Melanie’s husband David was covering the war in Iraq in 2003 for NBC. He died from complications from deep vein thrombosis. It’s kind of ironic that while he was covering a war it wasn’t anything war-like that killed him. It was a condition that is preventable.

Deep vein thrombosis indicates a blood clot in a large vein, usually the leg. There are several risk factors for it but half the time, there are no symptoms. If the clot breaks free and travels to the lung or brain it can be mean death. David Bloom’s clot traveled to his lung. He collapsed and died.

Melanie says she received nearly 80,000 letters and e-mails of support from around the country when her husband died. She was grateful for the outpouring and found in those letters her future mission. She wanted to make people more aware of the symptoms of DVT so that maybe she could prevent another family from experiencing the loss hers had.

She travels the country now as a spokesperson for the Coalition to Prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis. There is evidence the efforts of the organization are working. When David Bloom died in 2003, 75 percent of Americans had never heard of the condition. Recent surveys show that number has dropped significantly.

Melanie describes her work with the coalition as cathartic and in a way sees it as a tribute to her husband, who as a reporter took very seriously the job of getting important information to viewers. After his death, no one would have faulted her for simply spending all her time raising their three daughters. But isn’t it wonderful when people realize that their experiences should be shared? That by sharing, they might be able to help someone else. These people reach beyond themselves and deserve an extra pat on the back.

Thanks Melanie for what you are doing. Let’s hope your story not only makes a difference for some people but also saves a life. For more information about Deep Vein Thrombosis, check out the coalition’s Web site (https://www.preventdvt.org/default.aspx).