May 21, 2025 • 32 mins
Going for Gold with Lauren Brzozowski : A Conversation on Persistence and Survival
The road to an olympic medal is a road of diligence, consistency and sometimes heartbreak. How do you
adjust from a moment of survival into a pillar of inspiration on the bob run and off. On this episode of
Taking a Breath, we are joined by Team USA Bobsled Olympic Hopeful Lauren Brzozowski to discuss her
experience as a blood clot survivor. With National Blood Alliance President Leslie Lake and National
Blood Clot Alliance Patient Liaison Todd Robertson alongside listeners like you, we will continue working
together to collectively Stop the Clot!
Taking a Breath: A Stop The Clot Podcast is an Everything Podcasts Production
https://www.everythingpodcasts.com/
For more information on the National Blood Clot Alliance, please visit
https://www.stoptheclot.org/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:06):
You oh
Life is fragile.
On a day-to-day basis, so much of what we do and how we experience life is controlled byour actions.
However, as most of us know, so much of the happenstance of our individual lives is out ofour control.
(00:30):
All we can do is take precaution and prepare for when the unexpected arrives.
And then not even five or six hours after that, I had to get on a plane, which is alsoeight to 10 hours home.
So my foot was just stuck.
in that boot for almost like two days and I had no idea the risks of immobilization.
(00:50):
I didn't take any preventative measures.
I did not stand up on the plane.
What do we do when even the precautionary measures fall short and we're faced with therealities of the unexpected?
And the first step I take off of it, I knew my calf had some severe pain in it.
Even in that moment, I didn't think it was over until it was 12 hours later because
(01:12):
Around midnight, I found myself in the emergency room.
Every six minutes, somebody in America dies of a blood clot.
We're here to change that statistic.
Welcome to Taking a Breath, a Stop the Clot podcast.
An award-winning podcast dedicated to bringing awareness of the dangers of blood clotsfrom the clotting disorders community to the world.
(01:37):
With the help of many notable blood clot survivors, we are here to give you the knowledgeand the skills that you need to prevent this silent killer.
My name is Leslie Lake.
I am the president of the National Blood Clot Alliance and I am a blood clot survivor.
And my name is Todd Robertson.
I am the patient engagement liaison for the National Blood Clot Alliance and I am a seventime blood clot survivor.
(02:00):
And we're here to stop the clot.
When we try to achieve something great, the phrase, go for the gold, gets tossed around asa way to express doing the best job you can.
(02:21):
Our guest today is somebody who is taking that phrase quite literally.
In the world of Olympic athleticism, the smallest setback or injury can be the differencebetween public celebration and a dream cut short.
As an Olympic hopeful for Team USA bobsled and as a blood clot survivor, our guest todayis somebody who doesn't give up.
(02:43):
Please join me in welcoming the effortlessly wonderful Lauren Brasovsky.
So my name is Lauren Brasovsky.
I am from New Jersey and I am currently an Olympic hopeful for Team USA bobsled where Ipilot bobsleds for a living.
So I'm trying to make my first Olympic team currently.
I swear these are the stories you see in movies because for five years now I've beendriving bobsleds for a living.
(03:12):
for my country and it's honestly a dream.
And it took me four years before I made my first national team.
So my first ever season to compete on TV on World Cup, I couldn't afford it.
Because again, this is one of the most dangerous and expensive sports in the world.
So I went on a less expensive tour for the first half.
(03:34):
And then the second half, I was going to make my debut on the World Cup stage.
I was so excited.
It was going to be
in the birthplace of bobsled St.
Ritz, Switzerland.
They literally carved that track out of the mountain every single year.
So it's a little different every year you slide it, but basically the same idea.
And I was just beyond excited.
I had been working, you know, four years for this opportunity and I did really well.
(03:58):
And, you know, I'm trying to continue the tour second half and I find myself again, goingto a less competitive tour cause I can't stay on the full World Cup tour.
I found myself in Innsbruck, Austria, and I was supposed to race the Europa Cup there.
we must have been sliding on and off, not even just on every single day for like threemonths straight.
(04:23):
We didn't have a break.
And this one one night, me and the my teammates were like, let's go get some burgers intown and then we'll get ready for sliding the next couple of days.
So we're just celebrating like a really good season, a wonderful
World Cup debut and on our way out there is a Macklemore song playing, Can't Hold Us and Ilove Macklemore and I started dancing and I ended up rolling my ankle over someone's foot
(04:51):
when I was like dancing and in that moment I was like I've rolled my foot before like thisis no big deal.
Even the next day I went all the way to Switzerland to pick up a new bobsled because it'sa lot cheaper to rent bobsleds when you're in Europe because it's about
I'd say 15 to 20,000 to ship a bob sled and I have two sleds.
(05:12):
So it's a lot smarter to just rent a sled for a couple thousand, then do that.
So I just didn't think anything of it.
I didn't think the injury was that bad.
The next morning I told my athletic trainer about it, the physio, and she said, let's gotake a trip to the hospital just to make sure, because a lot of the symptoms you're
presenting are that of a broken bone.
And I did not believe her until I saw the x-ray and it was...
(05:36):
a very noticeable break in the calcaneus and the talus.
There was actually an avulsion fracture, which basically means that the, for me, the talonavicular tendon pulled the bones apart when it rolled.
And usually calcaneus injuries, like the calcaneus bone, it's right by your heel.
You don't even know it's broken.
You can walk on your heel for a really long time, which is why I stayed in Europe threeweeks longer in hopes I could try to compete because this again happened for
(06:04):
A few weeks before the biggest race of my career, World Championships, which is so crazynow because this week that I'm doing this podcast, it's a whole year later and World
Championships is here in Lake Placid, New York.
And I'm not competing, but it's cool to think that I get to for run the race, which meansI'm testing the timing gates before the competitive sleds go.
And it's just very full circle because I should have been competing at this event lastyear.
(06:29):
And I pulled myself out because of the injury.
But even when I did.
break my foot, they put me in a hard cast and they had to give me shots in my stomach.
I think the pain was very similar to a hairpin shot, which is they're basically pumpingyou with like salt essentially, because when a limb is immobilized, you're at risk for
(06:50):
clotting, right?
I didn't know this until I was in a hard cast.
And because we thought I could still push through the injury, that cast should have beenon maybe six to eight weeks, but we took it off after five.
or six days.
And I thought I could do it.
You know, I just I worked so hard.
It just didn't make sense in my head because I thought I was okay until I would try toreally press off of the foot.
(07:17):
And I just thought, you know, let's just wait it out until the very last minute.
And I'm actually so grateful that my team let me do that.
I think it would have been really traumatic going through all that pain to not try to seeit through until the very last minute.
But at the end of the day, I didn't want to put someone in the sled that I couldn't getdown the track safely with.
And so I knew that my teammates were going to do a good job.
(07:38):
So they ended up racing in my spot and they did phenomenal.
Meanwhile, I was like, this is great for me because I could go back stateside.
I could try to recover in time for the world cup in Lake Placid.
And I had the whole plan.
My coaches were very supportive.
And again, because this is one of the most expensive and dangerous sports in the world andwe don't have that many resources to pull it off.
(08:03):
Everyone has to be at the track when you're not sliding.
So for me to leave the tour meant I was going to be on my own trying to facilitatereturning my bobsleds to the people I rented it to and then getting on a flight home and
taking control of my recovery as well with the help of our physio staff online.
So I had to return a bobsled from Germany to Austria.
(08:27):
That was like a seven to 10 hour ride.
And then not even five or six hours after that, I had to get on a plane, which also eightto 10 hours home.
So it was just, my foot was just stuck in that boot for almost like two days.
And I had no idea the risks of immobilization.
I didn't take any preventative measures.
I did not stand up on the plane.
(08:48):
Actually the flight attendant took my crutches away from me because they were considered ahazard in the aisle, but there was no one sitting next to me on the plane.
So I was like, why is this an issue?
And I was so devastated because I left Europe, I think five days before that racehappened.
And I knew in that moment too, that this would hurt my chances of trying to ever make anOlympic team in 2026, as well as I wouldn't see the world's championship stage for
(09:14):
probably another three or four years.
In that moment, I knew all of that.
And it's actually holding true as of right now, because I didn't get to race enough thisyear with like my injury and whatnot.
It was definitely a bit of a setback.
And that's why I think this story is so interesting because
For me to go through all of that, all of that emotion and turmoil, and I was kind of justfacing it on my own, to then get on a flight, and the first step I take off of it, I knew
(09:42):
my calf had some severe pain in it.
Even in that moment, I didn't think it was over until it was 12 hours later, becausearound midnight, I found myself in the emergency room because my cousin, who's an
orthopedic surgeon who I was also talking to simultaneously with the injury, his name isBrendan Smith.
He's the only reason I went to the hospital because he was educated enough to know therisks and tell me ahead of time that this could be something serious.
(10:08):
And if we didn't catch it in time, I was at risk for a pulmonary embolism because I didhave a DVT.
I actually had two clots.
One was not deep enough to reach my heart or lungs, but the other one was.
ah So because we caught it early, I was a low risk situation and I ended up going onEloquist.
I believe that night, and I didn't realize once I took that pill, my season was overbecause you cannot do contact sports on blood thinners because God forbid you hit your
(10:37):
head and create a brain bleed, you would die instantly.
And in a sport like bobsled where one of the biggest injuries outside of iceberg isconcussions, that was not a risk we could ever take.
And so I had one World Cup race under my belt for my first time ever on the national team.
And I've been trying to get back on the stage of the greatest athletes in the world eversince.
(11:01):
But if not for what I went through this past year with surviving a clot and a whole yearit took me to heal from those breaks in my foot, I wouldn't be the person I am today,
which is someone who's very resilient and passionate about educating others so that theydon't suffer a similar fate or a worse one.
I've learned since sharing my story online that no one really knows the symptoms of bloodclots and
(11:25):
everyone can present differently.
I know for me, I didn't have any redness.
I thought the swelling in my leg was because of my foot injury.
And it just felt like I strained a muscle.
It almost like I was on the verge of having a charley horse.
And I was like, you know, I was sitting in one position for so long, like, I don't thinkit's possible to strain a muscle for sitting.
(11:48):
And that's what I just texted my cousin.
And the scariest thing is because I'm so
open about my life and my journey trying to make my first Olympic team.
I've been doing it for five years now.
I share everything.
I share as much as I can because I just want to educate people and inspire people.
Inspire myself, like posting holds me accountable to to like not give up.
(12:09):
part of that is, hey, I just got home.
I'm so happy to be with my family.
The moment I got home, I went to go see my coaches.
I was in tears.
I was in a boot.
I have video footage of me doing that.
My coach, I was like, hey, I think like I
strained my calf, like, what can we do about this?
He was like, just roll it out.
So we're not thinking anything of this.
I'm rolling my foot out.
(12:30):
I'm doing like floor bench press.
And then, you know, I do a whole day with my family, just catching up with them, crying,trying to, you know, just process the situation before I have to hopefully head up to Lake
Placid and recover there.
And then, yeah, that night, it just, the pain kept getting worse.
I remember I crawled up the stairs once I got home from the flight because I justcouldn't.
(12:52):
put weight on my foot, which naturally been the first sign that something was wrong.
And I just waited 12 hours because I didn't, I felt like weak asking for help.
thought this is too dramatic for me to go to the hospital.
I just got home.
I'm sure I'm fine.
And I have like, you know, my cousin on standby if I really get concerned and because thepain didn't go away, I texted him at like 11 PM and he was just told me you have
(13:19):
every possible reason to have a clot right now.
Don't freak out.
I don't think you're at risk for a pulmonary embolism, but to be safe, you should go tothe hospital.
So he is why we ended up going.
even when we were there, my dad didn't even believe it because you can't see it.
It's not like a paper cut.
It's not like I know where the pain is.
It's when it's invisible to someone and no one really knows what to look for.
(13:42):
You just don't think it's real.
And that was the night like everything just yeah, it was over.
I just think health should be the number one priority all the time.
And not everyone has the luxury of being able to check themselves into an ER, but I reallywish people would because the last thing you want is to not catch something like this soon
(14:04):
enough.
My life could be way different.
I would have to argue that my fans also kind of saved my life because injury is the worstpart about being an athlete.
It's such an attack on your identity and just not being able to move when you're
so used to that is also really hard.
And I did not anticipate just sharing what I was going through would resonate with so manypeople.
(14:26):
But let me tell you, there are a lot of like high school football coaches in my littlecomment sections.
Some of the most inspiring people leave messages on my page.
And it's just very inspiring.
feel like America's sweetheart because like in a way, because I have so many peoplerooting for me and just sending such inspiring things I would have never thought.
(14:47):
And that's the one thing too, like, sometimes I'm like, there's not enough words that youcan say to make a situation better.
And it's so hard to stay positive when you're in pain.
But thank God for the people out there that do it.
They just say something nice or say something positive.
It can leave such an impact.
It was to the point where I just started copying and pasting all these comments in like aWord document just to stay motivated because I think that's a whole nother side of this.
(15:13):
You know, in that moment.
I was just like, I don't think I can make an Olympic team.
I'm, this is such a setback.
I'm missing out on performances.
I could see where I rank among the best in the world.
Cause that's what the world cup tour is.
You're competing against Olympic gold and silver medalist and bronze medalist.
And this is another part of my story that is not as relevant to the clotting, but before Icame to bobsled, I was actually running track in England and I was studying a master's
(15:40):
there in marketing at Lefkara University.
And that's when cup had hit.
So.
I used to be in a room of some of the greatest track athletes in the world because LefkaraUniversity is like an international Olympic hub.
So they basically just have like a bunch of pro athletes and Olympians like train out ofthere and leaving that room to come to the ice and getting back in a room with the best
(16:02):
athletes in the world.
That's why this story is even more heartbreaking at times because I was so close.
People don't realize like how much of a mental strain it is to know that
I was still at a risk.
Like if we didn't catch that sooner, I could have actually died.
Again, very low risk situation because we caught it early, but it's scary to think thatthat could have happened.
(16:24):
And then the repercussions ever since.
Like it was a whole year to recover and then three months for the blood clotting.
Like had to be so careful.
Even like just the anxiety of getting in the car thinking I'm on blood thinners right now.
What if I have an accident or at the gym?
Like, what if I hit my head?
Just taking those like precautions to.
be as safe as possible.
It is a very scary thing to go through, especially when you have no information and you'rekind of just learning along the way too.
(16:50):
I just, again, I'm just so lucky I had so many people.
Symptoms are helpful.
They can direct us to any issue we'd otherwise not recognize and in many cases preventlooming catastrophe.
Even when asymptomatic, air travel can present unexpected risk for many people, bothwithin the clotting disorders community and outside of it.
(17:11):
Here to discuss precautionary measures when traveling by airplane and what to do to helplower risk of a clotting event, this is Dr.
Carolyn Cromwell from Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.
It has been found that doing things to help us prevent clots just prevents the occurrenceof clots, period.
So that is a good thing, but I will say for, let's say, low-risk individuals, and by thatwe mean things to think about healthy, no family history of clots.
(17:41):
not taking things like hormonal therapy or even testosterone, no recent surgery, all thethings that we think about in terms of someone who's low risk.
It's kind of sort of common sense recommendations we like to call them, which is stayhydrated, don't have an alcoholic drink and sleep on the plane for 10 hours straight, move
(18:02):
your body a bit and use the bathroom.
You hydrate, it makes you get up and go to the bathroom.
So that's a lot of times what I tell patients to do.
That's an automatic way to get you up and out of.
seat.
And then as we move up sort of our risk categories and there's consideration for otherthings to consider like compression stockings.
Of course people who are on blood thinners already, they should remain on the bloodthinners for travel.
(18:26):
And for some people who have been let's say treated for a blood clot in the past, it's adiscussion with their doctor or hematologist but they are often prescribed blood thinning
medication for travel, particularly if it's long.
I was at a hospital yesterday in Florida on the West Coast and we're trying to gethospitals to basically follow certain protocols, right?
(18:51):
Because believe it or not, most of this actually happens in a hospital or post hospitalsetting for up to 90 days after you leave.
So orthopedics is actually a very big area for where this happens.
People are in boots.
They're not told that don't be immobilized.
You think, put my leg up, put my arm up, whatever.
And then they end up getting a blood clot.
But anyway, so
I'm six years out and you know, I talk so much about this and I started to talk to theseclinicians yesterday about my personal situation.
(19:21):
All of a I started crying and I was just like, my God, like even though I'm, couldpractically like teach a class on this now, it's still really emotional.
And I don't know why it's so different, like why it is so emotional.
And I don't know if, like you said, you can't see it, but you know, it's like out there.
And so few people know about it and it's confusing, but I think you said somethingearlier, which is really, really true.
(19:46):
You're an athlete, you know your body really well, but I think you can translate that intolay people.
If it doesn't feel normal, it isn't normal.
And don't be afraid to go get it checked out.
Yeah.
That was like one of my biggest fears when I did find out what happened.
was just like, if I wasn't an athlete, I would have, I would have never even.
(20:06):
gotten checked.
And Brendan is like, I think he's one of the only people in my family that he's like theonly doctor like in our family.
And I didn't want to believe him.
I mean, the whole time I was in Europe and I was like, I think I could run through this.
Like, you're wrong.
Like you didn't see the full x ray.
I sent him like photos from my phone, but I just didn't want to believe it.
(20:27):
And sometimes it's just like, thank God he had people that are clear minded and they areremoved from a situation that they can help guide you through that.
And that was one thing I did want to touch on from what you just said.
Like, I don't know if this was your experience, but when I first saw my leg turn red,after like realizing, my gosh, I have a clot, I was just standing and I saw my whole leg
(20:49):
turn red.
Again, I had just left the emergency room and I'm thinking I'm going to die.
And I just, again, text my cousin and I told him what happened.
He's like, that is very normal.
Where you have the clots, it's going to stop the blood flow.
So it'll, your leg will swell up and turn red.
Like you're on Eloquist now and that should stabilize the clot and hope that over time itwill stop or to start breaking off.
(21:11):
Right.
And it's just like even stuff like that.
You're like just petrified that things could end, you know, because you're just noteducated and it's scary and it's painful.
I could barely walk the first like four days.
And I do think that kind of trauma stays with you for a while, but the more you can talkabout it, I think it gets easier.
(21:32):
And that makes me feel.
good knowing that even six years out, you are still a passion to talk about this.
it also like, obviously is emotional means like you're passionate about it.
So it's actually quite inspiring.
It's I'm in the blood clot Olympics and uh made the team in my case, like I didn't evenknow what a blood clot was.
(21:54):
I don't even know if I mean, I had a DVT, I guess in my leg or my arm.
when I went to the emergency room, they never checked me for it because I had shortness ofbreath.
So it had already gone into my lungs.
and my lungs were like full of blood clots.
And so I got really lucky because I was there in the emergency room for 12 hours beforethey decided to check my lungs.
I mean, I could have died.
(22:15):
so the, you know, it was terrifying.
And then you leave and you don't really, I mean, thank God for your cousin, but you leaveand you're not really given any information about what has happened and you know, what
feels normal and what doesn't feel normal.
so, so this month is actually blood clot awareness month, March is blood clot awarenessmonth.
And so we're like promoting, you know, awareness this month.
(22:38):
have something called a hundred thousand challenge, which is in memory of the hundredthousand people who lose, lose their life every single year to this, to blood clots.
And we promote exercise, get out, move, doesn't matter what you do, but just get up andmove, get the blood flowing, et cetera.
And so one of the reasons we did this is because we have so many people, know, amateurathletes, young.
(23:03):
old, it doesn't matter, people that are doing stuff, where their sport was so important tothem, to their identity.
And I'm just talking about like amateur people, not professional athletes necessarily.
But you said your identity is taken away.
I remember Katie Hoff talking about this and we were at an event together and she wastalking to a bunch of doctors and she said, imagine tomorrow you couldn't practice
(23:25):
medicine anymore.
What would that be like for you?
And she said, that's what happened to me as a professional swimmer.
And so I would love for you to give some guidance or motivation or just thoughts for allthese people that will be listening to this that have had blood clots that want to
exercise and come back to it, but are afraid.
They're afraid to do it.
(23:45):
They're on medication.
They're afraid they're going to bump into something, hit their head, whatever it may be.
The only thing they said to me when I left the hospital was, you're going to be on ananticoagulant.
I didn't even know what that was, first of all.
And they're like, don't ride your bike in New York City, because that's where I live.
Because if you fall off and hit your head, you could get a brain bleed and die.
And I was like, what the hell?
(24:07):
You know, like, what has just happened on me?
Like I've ended up in a different world.
And it was really, really scary.
And it's like, I knew I needed to move.
I needed to get the blood flowing, but I didn't know how.
So what would you say to people to kind of encourage them?
Well, speaking from my experience of having, you know, a couple of clots in my left calf.
(24:27):
right above the broken foot injury site.
I was very afraid to work out, not just because of the broken bone area, but because Ididn't want to dislodge the clot.
And it definitely took me a while before I did go back to training.
I want to say it took two or three weeks before I felt comfortable.
(24:48):
I think I sent like a million emails to my vein specialist and the guy I went to for myblood work.
I think his name is Kevin Wood.
which I had the best staff by the way.
John Shubach is amazing and his team really made me feel like safe, which is kind of idealin a situation like this.
And I sent them so many emails asking, it safe for me to train?
(25:11):
Obviously I wasn't going to be capable of much because I had a foot injury, but they saidit was safe.
They said I was on Eloquist and they told me the risks of being on a blood thinner, butalso that I was safe to train.
And I trusted them and I trained my heart out to whatever capacity I could.
And it was a lot of, you know, upper arm movements, actually some lunges if I could handleit just on one leg pull ups.
(25:38):
you know, and I wore my compression sleeve all the time and I was very adamant abouttaking my blood thinning medication on the dot, like 8 a.m., 8 p.m.
Never missed a beat with that.
And I think just being diligent with your medication, you're more than fine to get back inthe gym.
Just be smart about not hitting your head essentially.
(25:59):
But even that is so low risk.
And also just talk to your doctors, your blood or vein specialist, and they can alsoprovide guidance and tell you to look out for other symptoms.
Should you be experiencing anything painful or difficult during a workout?
And I have really good guidance.
And the crazy story is I trained like the whole summer before
(26:20):
The bobsled season started and every bobsled season we have something called pushchampionships, which is basically a pushing competition because in our sport, the push at
the top of the hill is a very big determining factor for if you're going to win at thebottom.
And I have to push a certain standard to get allocated some funding for my season.
(26:41):
And it's called the A standard.
Like you want to hit this time or better and you can get like up to like 15 or $20,000.
That obviously helps a lot when a
Bob said season can cost like 60 to 100,000.
So it's crazy.
Yeah.
It's more, it's closer to a hundred thousand or like, I'd say for now let's say 60,000 fora season, but it gets more if you're shipping sleds.
(27:03):
That's a 40 grand, but you know, I'm sitting there and I'm like, I need this money and Ihave five seconds to win it.
And I tied the a standard on my first push.
Oh my God.
That's amazing.
Yeah.
It was insane.
just, in that moment, like you jump in the sled and you pick your head up and you see theclock and you're like, how did that just happen?
(27:26):
How did I just went like 20 grand in five seconds after surviving a blood clot and twobreaks in my foot?
And I just, I think that's when the passion really helps just knowing like it's all ornothing.
And I don't know this helps anyone, but I am a firm believer that great things are on theother side of what can scare you.
And I'm not an adrenaline junkie.
(27:47):
do not do this sport because I, in the, you know, an ad bid, like I will jump out of aplane with a parachute or I hate that actually.
So the only reason I do this sport is because I love to compete and I love to inspire.
And every time I go down the mountain, I'll grab my helmet and I'll just say like, bebrave because sometimes in life you have to hold your own hand and be brave.
(28:08):
And I think as scary as a diagnosis like these can be, as long as you consult yourhealthcare professionals.
and they give you the green light to train, you should do it.
And I'm happy I did because that's the only reason I was also able to have a bobsledseason this year with the help of sponsors.
So yeah, I work with World Wide IP Solutions.
I work with professional physical therapy.
(28:29):
So the people who also helped me not only heal from my clots, but from my broken bones.
It's so funny.
I don't know you've ever seen Cool Runnings, but they say in that movie, like in bobsledbones don't break, they shatter.
And it is definitely true.
But you know, just having good people to get you back on ice is also really great.
So yeah, I some great people in my corner.
(28:50):
And I hope, you know, if they're going through something similar, hopefully they're not.
But if they are, just be brave enough to take that first step towards recovery.
That is amazing.
And your story is just going to impact so many people.
I have to tell you, listening to you, seeing you, you've dealt with adversity, but yourattitude is just amazing.
(29:13):
And like there's something about you that just like radiates goodness and like light.
And I know this sounds crazy, but like, and I'm not one of those people that says stufflike that to other people, but there's something about you.
Like I want you to win because you've got this like amazing personality.
It's intoxicating, you know?
And so like I follow your training and all of this other stuff.
(29:33):
Like I'm always like, I'm like when you had the cast taken off and then you were liketraining, I was like, don't hurt yourself.
Don't hurt yourself.
And just like seeing you like
deal with this and push yourself, you know, and get back to where you were even better.
It's really just, it's just incredible.
Thank you.
Yeah.
I sometimes I genuinely don't know how I do it, especially when I was injured.
definitely didn't feel as bubbly and fabulous like my mom tells me to be, but I do atleast the personality a lot to my mom and my family.
(30:01):
I have a great support system and even more people rooting for me online and offline.
And I just, feel like I I'm so lucky I get to wake up and live.
the dream, even though it's not as glamorous as people would think.
love it.
And I wish like when I was younger, I knew about some of these opportunities like sooner.
But yeah, I've always just wanted to wear a USA on my back.
(30:22):
And on our team, say America doesn't get you to the Olympics Americans do.
And I think that's like so true, whether it's, you know, liking a post talking about yourstory to someone else donating, even just coming to a race and cheering you on.
Thank you so much, Lauren, for joining us here today.
You were amazing.
This was just so much fun, which is not usually a word that I use with blood clots, but itwas fascinating to listen to you.
(30:50):
And you're just going to provide so much hope for people, not just from a preventionstandpoint, but getting back to exercising again after having a blood clot.
Yeah.
Thank you so much again for just the opportunity to share my story and try to educateothers.
And it's a really crazy thing to experience in life, but
Knowing that other people have made it to the other side is quite inspiring in itself.
(31:11):
And I'm happy that you guys provide a platform for people to share that side of it too.
So just thank you for the opportunity.
It's been a lot of fun.
I'll do a trade with you.
I will give you a horseback riding lesson on one of my horses if you put me on thebobsled.
Oh yeah.
Like easy.
Yeah.
Just kind of like plastic.
Give me a heads up.
(31:31):
I won't legally let me take you down the track, but I know someone who can.
We have tourist rides, so we'll get you a good helmet.
You just bring your coat and your shoes.
We wear the helmet and we're good.
Yeah.
Everyone can come guys.
Free mouse surprise for everyone.
I would love it.
(31:52):
We want to thank Lauren one more time for sharing her experience with us today.
A special thank you to the exquisite Dr.
Carolyn Cromwell for her insight and expertise.
Thank you for joining us on another episode.
of taking a breath.
For more information on risk prevention and community, please visit stoptheclot.org.
(32:14):
We know the patient because we are the patient.
Together with listeners like you, we can collectively stop the clot.
For more information, visit StopTheClaw.org.
Another Everything Podcast production.
(32:34):
Visit everythingpodcast.com, a division of Patterson Media.
Subscribe wherever you get your podcast.
You oh
Life is fragile.
On a day-to-day basis, so much of what we do and how we experience life is controlled byour actions.
However, as most of us know, so much of the happenstance of our individual lives is out ofour control.
(00:30):
All we can do is take precaution and prepare for when the unexpected arrives.
And then not even five or six hours after that, I had to get on a plane, which is alsoeight to 10 hours home.
So my foot was just stuck.
in that boot for almost like two days and I had no idea the risks of immobilization.
(00:50):
I didn't take any preventative measures.
I did not stand up on the plane.
What do we do when even the precautionary measures fall short and we're faced with therealities of the unexpected?
And the first step I take off of it, I knew my calf had some severe pain in it.
Even in that moment, I didn't think it was over until it was 12 hours later because
(01:12):
Around midnight, I found myself in the emergency room.
Every six minutes, somebody in America dies of a blood clot.
We're here to change that statistic.
Welcome to Taking a Breath, a Stop the Clot podcast.
An award-winning podcast dedicated to bringing awareness of the dangers of blood clotsfrom the clotting disorders community to the world.
(01:37):
With the help of many notable blood clot survivors, we are here to give you the knowledgeand the skills that you need to prevent this silent killer.
My name is Leslie Lake.
I am the president of the National Blood Clot Alliance and I am a blood clot survivor.
And my name is Todd Robertson.
I am the patient engagement liaison for the National Blood Clot Alliance and I am a seventime blood clot survivor.
(02:00):
And we're here to stop the clot.
When we try to achieve something great, the phrase, go for the gold, gets tossed around asa way to express doing the best job you can.
(02:21):
Our guest today is somebody who is taking that phrase quite literally.
In the world of Olympic athleticism, the smallest setback or injury can be the differencebetween public celebration and a dream cut short.
As an Olympic hopeful for Team USA bobsled and as a blood clot survivor, our guest todayis somebody who doesn't give up.
(02:43):
Please join me in welcoming the effortlessly wonderful Lauren Brasovsky.
So my name is Lauren Brasovsky.
I am from New Jersey and I am currently an Olympic hopeful for Team USA bobsled where Ipilot bobsleds for a living.
So I'm trying to make my first Olympic team currently.
I swear these are the stories you see in movies because for five years now I've beendriving bobsleds for a living.
(03:12):
for my country and it's honestly a dream.
And it took me four years before I made my first national team.
So my first ever season to compete on TV on World Cup, I couldn't afford it.
Because again, this is one of the most dangerous and expensive sports in the world.
So I went on a less expensive tour for the first half.
(03:34):
And then the second half, I was going to make my debut on the World Cup stage.
I was so excited.
It was going to be
in the birthplace of bobsled St.
Ritz, Switzerland.
They literally carved that track out of the mountain every single year.
So it's a little different every year you slide it, but basically the same idea.
And I was just beyond excited.
I had been working, you know, four years for this opportunity and I did really well.
(03:58):
And, you know, I'm trying to continue the tour second half and I find myself again, goingto a less competitive tour cause I can't stay on the full World Cup tour.
I found myself in Innsbruck, Austria, and I was supposed to race the Europa Cup there.
we must have been sliding on and off, not even just on every single day for like threemonths straight.
(04:23):
We didn't have a break.
And this one one night, me and the my teammates were like, let's go get some burgers intown and then we'll get ready for sliding the next couple of days.
So we're just celebrating like a really good season, a wonderful
World Cup debut and on our way out there is a Macklemore song playing, Can't Hold Us and Ilove Macklemore and I started dancing and I ended up rolling my ankle over someone's foot
(04:51):
when I was like dancing and in that moment I was like I've rolled my foot before like thisis no big deal.
Even the next day I went all the way to Switzerland to pick up a new bobsled because it'sa lot cheaper to rent bobsleds when you're in Europe because it's about
I'd say 15 to 20,000 to ship a bob sled and I have two sleds.
(05:12):
So it's a lot smarter to just rent a sled for a couple thousand, then do that.
So I just didn't think anything of it.
I didn't think the injury was that bad.
The next morning I told my athletic trainer about it, the physio, and she said, let's gotake a trip to the hospital just to make sure, because a lot of the symptoms you're
presenting are that of a broken bone.
And I did not believe her until I saw the x-ray and it was...
(05:36):
a very noticeable break in the calcaneus and the talus.
There was actually an avulsion fracture, which basically means that the, for me, the talonavicular tendon pulled the bones apart when it rolled.
And usually calcaneus injuries, like the calcaneus bone, it's right by your heel.
You don't even know it's broken.
You can walk on your heel for a really long time, which is why I stayed in Europe threeweeks longer in hopes I could try to compete because this again happened for
(06:04):
A few weeks before the biggest race of my career, World Championships, which is so crazynow because this week that I'm doing this podcast, it's a whole year later and World
Championships is here in Lake Placid, New York.
And I'm not competing, but it's cool to think that I get to for run the race, which meansI'm testing the timing gates before the competitive sleds go.
And it's just very full circle because I should have been competing at this event lastyear.
(06:29):
And I pulled myself out because of the injury.
But even when I did.
break my foot, they put me in a hard cast and they had to give me shots in my stomach.
I think the pain was very similar to a hairpin shot, which is they're basically pumpingyou with like salt essentially, because when a limb is immobilized, you're at risk for
(06:50):
clotting, right?
I didn't know this until I was in a hard cast.
And because we thought I could still push through the injury, that cast should have beenon maybe six to eight weeks, but we took it off after five.
or six days.
And I thought I could do it.
You know, I just I worked so hard.
It just didn't make sense in my head because I thought I was okay until I would try toreally press off of the foot.
(07:17):
And I just thought, you know, let's just wait it out until the very last minute.
And I'm actually so grateful that my team let me do that.
I think it would have been really traumatic going through all that pain to not try to seeit through until the very last minute.
But at the end of the day, I didn't want to put someone in the sled that I couldn't getdown the track safely with.
And so I knew that my teammates were going to do a good job.
(07:38):
So they ended up racing in my spot and they did phenomenal.
Meanwhile, I was like, this is great for me because I could go back stateside.
I could try to recover in time for the world cup in Lake Placid.
And I had the whole plan.
My coaches were very supportive.
And again, because this is one of the most expensive and dangerous sports in the world andwe don't have that many resources to pull it off.
(08:03):
Everyone has to be at the track when you're not sliding.
So for me to leave the tour meant I was going to be on my own trying to facilitatereturning my bobsleds to the people I rented it to and then getting on a flight home and
taking control of my recovery as well with the help of our physio staff online.
So I had to return a bobsled from Germany to Austria.
(08:27):
That was like a seven to 10 hour ride.
And then not even five or six hours after that, I had to get on a plane, which also eightto 10 hours home.
So it was just, my foot was just stuck in that boot for almost like two days.
And I had no idea the risks of immobilization.
I didn't take any preventative measures.
I did not stand up on the plane.
(08:48):
Actually the flight attendant took my crutches away from me because they were considered ahazard in the aisle, but there was no one sitting next to me on the plane.
So I was like, why is this an issue?
And I was so devastated because I left Europe, I think five days before that racehappened.
And I knew in that moment too, that this would hurt my chances of trying to ever make anOlympic team in 2026, as well as I wouldn't see the world's championship stage for
(09:14):
probably another three or four years.
In that moment, I knew all of that.
And it's actually holding true as of right now, because I didn't get to race enough thisyear with like my injury and whatnot.
It was definitely a bit of a setback.
And that's why I think this story is so interesting because
For me to go through all of that, all of that emotion and turmoil, and I was kind of justfacing it on my own, to then get on a flight, and the first step I take off of it, I knew
(09:42):
my calf had some severe pain in it.
Even in that moment, I didn't think it was over until it was 12 hours later, becausearound midnight, I found myself in the emergency room because my cousin, who's an
orthopedic surgeon who I was also talking to simultaneously with the injury, his name isBrendan Smith.
He's the only reason I went to the hospital because he was educated enough to know therisks and tell me ahead of time that this could be something serious.
(10:08):
And if we didn't catch it in time, I was at risk for a pulmonary embolism because I didhave a DVT.
I actually had two clots.
One was not deep enough to reach my heart or lungs, but the other one was.
ah So because we caught it early, I was a low risk situation and I ended up going onEloquist.
I believe that night, and I didn't realize once I took that pill, my season was overbecause you cannot do contact sports on blood thinners because God forbid you hit your
(10:37):
head and create a brain bleed, you would die instantly.
And in a sport like bobsled where one of the biggest injuries outside of iceberg isconcussions, that was not a risk we could ever take.
And so I had one World Cup race under my belt for my first time ever on the national team.
And I've been trying to get back on the stage of the greatest athletes in the world eversince.
(11:01):
But if not for what I went through this past year with surviving a clot and a whole yearit took me to heal from those breaks in my foot, I wouldn't be the person I am today,
which is someone who's very resilient and passionate about educating others so that theydon't suffer a similar fate or a worse one.
I've learned since sharing my story online that no one really knows the symptoms of bloodclots and
(11:25):
everyone can present differently.
I know for me, I didn't have any redness.
I thought the swelling in my leg was because of my foot injury.
And it just felt like I strained a muscle.
It almost like I was on the verge of having a charley horse.
And I was like, you know, I was sitting in one position for so long, like, I don't thinkit's possible to strain a muscle for sitting.
(11:48):
And that's what I just texted my cousin.
And the scariest thing is because I'm so
open about my life and my journey trying to make my first Olympic team.
I've been doing it for five years now.
I share everything.
I share as much as I can because I just want to educate people and inspire people.
Inspire myself, like posting holds me accountable to to like not give up.
(12:09):
part of that is, hey, I just got home.
I'm so happy to be with my family.
The moment I got home, I went to go see my coaches.
I was in tears.
I was in a boot.
I have video footage of me doing that.
My coach, I was like, hey, I think like I
strained my calf, like, what can we do about this?
He was like, just roll it out.
So we're not thinking anything of this.
I'm rolling my foot out.
(12:30):
I'm doing like floor bench press.
And then, you know, I do a whole day with my family, just catching up with them, crying,trying to, you know, just process the situation before I have to hopefully head up to Lake
Placid and recover there.
And then, yeah, that night, it just, the pain kept getting worse.
I remember I crawled up the stairs once I got home from the flight because I justcouldn't.
(12:52):
put weight on my foot, which naturally been the first sign that something was wrong.
And I just waited 12 hours because I didn't, I felt like weak asking for help.
thought this is too dramatic for me to go to the hospital.
I just got home.
I'm sure I'm fine.
And I have like, you know, my cousin on standby if I really get concerned and because thepain didn't go away, I texted him at like 11 PM and he was just told me you have
(13:19):
every possible reason to have a clot right now.
Don't freak out.
I don't think you're at risk for a pulmonary embolism, but to be safe, you should go tothe hospital.
So he is why we ended up going.
even when we were there, my dad didn't even believe it because you can't see it.
It's not like a paper cut.
It's not like I know where the pain is.
It's when it's invisible to someone and no one really knows what to look for.
(13:42):
You just don't think it's real.
And that was the night like everything just yeah, it was over.
I just think health should be the number one priority all the time.
And not everyone has the luxury of being able to check themselves into an ER, but I reallywish people would because the last thing you want is to not catch something like this soon
(14:04):
enough.
My life could be way different.
I would have to argue that my fans also kind of saved my life because injury is the worstpart about being an athlete.
It's such an attack on your identity and just not being able to move when you're
so used to that is also really hard.
And I did not anticipate just sharing what I was going through would resonate with so manypeople.
(14:26):
But let me tell you, there are a lot of like high school football coaches in my littlecomment sections.
Some of the most inspiring people leave messages on my page.
And it's just very inspiring.
feel like America's sweetheart because like in a way, because I have so many peoplerooting for me and just sending such inspiring things I would have never thought.
(14:47):
And that's the one thing too, like, sometimes I'm like, there's not enough words that youcan say to make a situation better.
And it's so hard to stay positive when you're in pain.
But thank God for the people out there that do it.
They just say something nice or say something positive.
It can leave such an impact.
It was to the point where I just started copying and pasting all these comments in like aWord document just to stay motivated because I think that's a whole nother side of this.
(15:13):
You know, in that moment.
I was just like, I don't think I can make an Olympic team.
I'm, this is such a setback.
I'm missing out on performances.
I could see where I rank among the best in the world.
Cause that's what the world cup tour is.
You're competing against Olympic gold and silver medalist and bronze medalist.
And this is another part of my story that is not as relevant to the clotting, but before Icame to bobsled, I was actually running track in England and I was studying a master's
(15:40):
there in marketing at Lefkara University.
And that's when cup had hit.
So.
I used to be in a room of some of the greatest track athletes in the world because LefkaraUniversity is like an international Olympic hub.
So they basically just have like a bunch of pro athletes and Olympians like train out ofthere and leaving that room to come to the ice and getting back in a room with the best
(16:02):
athletes in the world.
That's why this story is even more heartbreaking at times because I was so close.
People don't realize like how much of a mental strain it is to know that
I was still at a risk.
Like if we didn't catch that sooner, I could have actually died.
Again, very low risk situation because we caught it early, but it's scary to think thatthat could have happened.
(16:24):
And then the repercussions ever since.
Like it was a whole year to recover and then three months for the blood clotting.
Like had to be so careful.
Even like just the anxiety of getting in the car thinking I'm on blood thinners right now.
What if I have an accident or at the gym?
Like, what if I hit my head?
Just taking those like precautions to.
be as safe as possible.
It is a very scary thing to go through, especially when you have no information and you'rekind of just learning along the way too.
(16:50):
I just, again, I'm just so lucky I had so many people.
Symptoms are helpful.
They can direct us to any issue we'd otherwise not recognize and in many cases preventlooming catastrophe.
Even when asymptomatic, air travel can present unexpected risk for many people, bothwithin the clotting disorders community and outside of it.
(17:11):
Here to discuss precautionary measures when traveling by airplane and what to do to helplower risk of a clotting event, this is Dr.
Carolyn Cromwell from Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.
It has been found that doing things to help us prevent clots just prevents the occurrenceof clots, period.
So that is a good thing, but I will say for, let's say, low-risk individuals, and by thatwe mean things to think about healthy, no family history of clots.
(17:41):
not taking things like hormonal therapy or even testosterone, no recent surgery, all thethings that we think about in terms of someone who's low risk.
It's kind of sort of common sense recommendations we like to call them, which is stayhydrated, don't have an alcoholic drink and sleep on the plane for 10 hours straight, move
(18:02):
your body a bit and use the bathroom.
You hydrate, it makes you get up and go to the bathroom.
So that's a lot of times what I tell patients to do.
That's an automatic way to get you up and out of.
seat.
And then as we move up sort of our risk categories and there's consideration for otherthings to consider like compression stockings.
Of course people who are on blood thinners already, they should remain on the bloodthinners for travel.
(18:26):
And for some people who have been let's say treated for a blood clot in the past, it's adiscussion with their doctor or hematologist but they are often prescribed blood thinning
medication for travel, particularly if it's long.
I was at a hospital yesterday in Florida on the West Coast and we're trying to gethospitals to basically follow certain protocols, right?
(18:51):
Because believe it or not, most of this actually happens in a hospital or post hospitalsetting for up to 90 days after you leave.
So orthopedics is actually a very big area for where this happens.
People are in boots.
They're not told that don't be immobilized.
You think, put my leg up, put my arm up, whatever.
And then they end up getting a blood clot.
But anyway, so
I'm six years out and you know, I talk so much about this and I started to talk to theseclinicians yesterday about my personal situation.
(19:21):
All of a I started crying and I was just like, my God, like even though I'm, couldpractically like teach a class on this now, it's still really emotional.
And I don't know why it's so different, like why it is so emotional.
And I don't know if, like you said, you can't see it, but you know, it's like out there.
And so few people know about it and it's confusing, but I think you said somethingearlier, which is really, really true.
(19:46):
You're an athlete, you know your body really well, but I think you can translate that intolay people.
If it doesn't feel normal, it isn't normal.
And don't be afraid to go get it checked out.
Yeah.
That was like one of my biggest fears when I did find out what happened.
was just like, if I wasn't an athlete, I would have, I would have never even.
(20:06):
gotten checked.
And Brendan is like, I think he's one of the only people in my family that he's like theonly doctor like in our family.
And I didn't want to believe him.
I mean, the whole time I was in Europe and I was like, I think I could run through this.
Like, you're wrong.
Like you didn't see the full x ray.
I sent him like photos from my phone, but I just didn't want to believe it.
(20:27):
And sometimes it's just like, thank God he had people that are clear minded and they areremoved from a situation that they can help guide you through that.
And that was one thing I did want to touch on from what you just said.
Like, I don't know if this was your experience, but when I first saw my leg turn red,after like realizing, my gosh, I have a clot, I was just standing and I saw my whole leg
(20:49):
turn red.
Again, I had just left the emergency room and I'm thinking I'm going to die.
And I just, again, text my cousin and I told him what happened.
He's like, that is very normal.
Where you have the clots, it's going to stop the blood flow.
So it'll, your leg will swell up and turn red.
Like you're on Eloquist now and that should stabilize the clot and hope that over time itwill stop or to start breaking off.
(21:11):
Right.
And it's just like even stuff like that.
You're like just petrified that things could end, you know, because you're just noteducated and it's scary and it's painful.
I could barely walk the first like four days.
And I do think that kind of trauma stays with you for a while, but the more you can talkabout it, I think it gets easier.
(21:32):
And that makes me feel.
good knowing that even six years out, you are still a passion to talk about this.
it also like, obviously is emotional means like you're passionate about it.
So it's actually quite inspiring.
It's I'm in the blood clot Olympics and uh made the team in my case, like I didn't evenknow what a blood clot was.
(21:54):
I don't even know if I mean, I had a DVT, I guess in my leg or my arm.
when I went to the emergency room, they never checked me for it because I had shortness ofbreath.
So it had already gone into my lungs.
and my lungs were like full of blood clots.
And so I got really lucky because I was there in the emergency room for 12 hours beforethey decided to check my lungs.
I mean, I could have died.
(22:15):
so the, you know, it was terrifying.
And then you leave and you don't really, I mean, thank God for your cousin, but you leaveand you're not really given any information about what has happened and you know, what
feels normal and what doesn't feel normal.
so, so this month is actually blood clot awareness month, March is blood clot awarenessmonth.
And so we're like promoting, you know, awareness this month.
(22:38):
have something called a hundred thousand challenge, which is in memory of the hundredthousand people who lose, lose their life every single year to this, to blood clots.
And we promote exercise, get out, move, doesn't matter what you do, but just get up andmove, get the blood flowing, et cetera.
And so one of the reasons we did this is because we have so many people, know, amateurathletes, young.
(23:03):
old, it doesn't matter, people that are doing stuff, where their sport was so important tothem, to their identity.
And I'm just talking about like amateur people, not professional athletes necessarily.
But you said your identity is taken away.
I remember Katie Hoff talking about this and we were at an event together and she wastalking to a bunch of doctors and she said, imagine tomorrow you couldn't practice
(23:25):
medicine anymore.
What would that be like for you?
And she said, that's what happened to me as a professional swimmer.
And so I would love for you to give some guidance or motivation or just thoughts for allthese people that will be listening to this that have had blood clots that want to
exercise and come back to it, but are afraid.
They're afraid to do it.
(23:45):
They're on medication.
They're afraid they're going to bump into something, hit their head, whatever it may be.
The only thing they said to me when I left the hospital was, you're going to be on ananticoagulant.
I didn't even know what that was, first of all.
And they're like, don't ride your bike in New York City, because that's where I live.
Because if you fall off and hit your head, you could get a brain bleed and die.
And I was like, what the hell?
(24:07):
You know, like, what has just happened on me?
Like I've ended up in a different world.
And it was really, really scary.
And it's like, I knew I needed to move.
I needed to get the blood flowing, but I didn't know how.
So what would you say to people to kind of encourage them?
Well, speaking from my experience of having, you know, a couple of clots in my left calf.
(24:27):
right above the broken foot injury site.
I was very afraid to work out, not just because of the broken bone area, but because Ididn't want to dislodge the clot.
And it definitely took me a while before I did go back to training.
I want to say it took two or three weeks before I felt comfortable.
(24:48):
I think I sent like a million emails to my vein specialist and the guy I went to for myblood work.
I think his name is Kevin Wood.
which I had the best staff by the way.
John Shubach is amazing and his team really made me feel like safe, which is kind of idealin a situation like this.
And I sent them so many emails asking, it safe for me to train?
(25:11):
Obviously I wasn't going to be capable of much because I had a foot injury, but they saidit was safe.
They said I was on Eloquist and they told me the risks of being on a blood thinner, butalso that I was safe to train.
And I trusted them and I trained my heart out to whatever capacity I could.
And it was a lot of, you know, upper arm movements, actually some lunges if I could handleit just on one leg pull ups.
(25:38):
you know, and I wore my compression sleeve all the time and I was very adamant abouttaking my blood thinning medication on the dot, like 8 a.m., 8 p.m.
Never missed a beat with that.
And I think just being diligent with your medication, you're more than fine to get back inthe gym.
Just be smart about not hitting your head essentially.
(25:59):
But even that is so low risk.
And also just talk to your doctors, your blood or vein specialist, and they can alsoprovide guidance and tell you to look out for other symptoms.
Should you be experiencing anything painful or difficult during a workout?
And I have really good guidance.
And the crazy story is I trained like the whole summer before
(26:20):
The bobsled season started and every bobsled season we have something called pushchampionships, which is basically a pushing competition because in our sport, the push at
the top of the hill is a very big determining factor for if you're going to win at thebottom.
And I have to push a certain standard to get allocated some funding for my season.
(26:41):
And it's called the A standard.
Like you want to hit this time or better and you can get like up to like 15 or $20,000.
That obviously helps a lot when a
Bob said season can cost like 60 to 100,000.
So it's crazy.
Yeah.
It's more, it's closer to a hundred thousand or like, I'd say for now let's say 60,000 fora season, but it gets more if you're shipping sleds.
(27:03):
That's a 40 grand, but you know, I'm sitting there and I'm like, I need this money and Ihave five seconds to win it.
And I tied the a standard on my first push.
Oh my God.
That's amazing.
Yeah.
It was insane.
just, in that moment, like you jump in the sled and you pick your head up and you see theclock and you're like, how did that just happen?
(27:26):
How did I just went like 20 grand in five seconds after surviving a blood clot and twobreaks in my foot?
And I just, I think that's when the passion really helps just knowing like it's all ornothing.
And I don't know this helps anyone, but I am a firm believer that great things are on theother side of what can scare you.
And I'm not an adrenaline junkie.
(27:47):
do not do this sport because I, in the, you know, an ad bid, like I will jump out of aplane with a parachute or I hate that actually.
So the only reason I do this sport is because I love to compete and I love to inspire.
And every time I go down the mountain, I'll grab my helmet and I'll just say like, bebrave because sometimes in life you have to hold your own hand and be brave.
(28:08):
And I think as scary as a diagnosis like these can be, as long as you consult yourhealthcare professionals.
and they give you the green light to train, you should do it.
And I'm happy I did because that's the only reason I was also able to have a bobsledseason this year with the help of sponsors.
So yeah, I work with World Wide IP Solutions.
I work with professional physical therapy.
(28:29):
So the people who also helped me not only heal from my clots, but from my broken bones.
It's so funny.
I don't know you've ever seen Cool Runnings, but they say in that movie, like in bobsledbones don't break, they shatter.
And it is definitely true.
But you know, just having good people to get you back on ice is also really great.
So yeah, I some great people in my corner.
(28:50):
And I hope, you know, if they're going through something similar, hopefully they're not.
But if they are, just be brave enough to take that first step towards recovery.
That is amazing.
And your story is just going to impact so many people.
I have to tell you, listening to you, seeing you, you've dealt with adversity, but yourattitude is just amazing.
(29:13):
And like there's something about you that just like radiates goodness and like light.
And I know this sounds crazy, but like, and I'm not one of those people that says stufflike that to other people, but there's something about you.
Like I want you to win because you've got this like amazing personality.
It's intoxicating, you know?
And so like I follow your training and all of this other stuff.
(29:33):
Like I'm always like, I'm like when you had the cast taken off and then you were liketraining, I was like, don't hurt yourself.
Don't hurt yourself.
And just like seeing you like
deal with this and push yourself, you know, and get back to where you were even better.
It's really just, it's just incredible.
Thank you.
Yeah.
I sometimes I genuinely don't know how I do it, especially when I was injured.
definitely didn't feel as bubbly and fabulous like my mom tells me to be, but I do atleast the personality a lot to my mom and my family.
(30:01):
I have a great support system and even more people rooting for me online and offline.
And I just, feel like I I'm so lucky I get to wake up and live.
the dream, even though it's not as glamorous as people would think.
love it.
And I wish like when I was younger, I knew about some of these opportunities like sooner.
But yeah, I've always just wanted to wear a USA on my back.
(30:22):
And on our team, say America doesn't get you to the Olympics Americans do.
And I think that's like so true, whether it's, you know, liking a post talking about yourstory to someone else donating, even just coming to a race and cheering you on.
Thank you so much, Lauren, for joining us here today.
You were amazing.
This was just so much fun, which is not usually a word that I use with blood clots, but itwas fascinating to listen to you.
(30:50):
And you're just going to provide so much hope for people, not just from a preventionstandpoint, but getting back to exercising again after having a blood clot.
Yeah.
Thank you so much again for just the opportunity to share my story and try to educateothers.
And it's a really crazy thing to experience in life, but
Knowing that other people have made it to the other side is quite inspiring in itself.
(31:11):
And I'm happy that you guys provide a platform for people to share that side of it too.
So just thank you for the opportunity.
It's been a lot of fun.
I'll do a trade with you.
I will give you a horseback riding lesson on one of my horses if you put me on thebobsled.
Oh yeah.
Like easy.
Yeah.
Just kind of like plastic.
Give me a heads up.
(31:31):
I won't legally let me take you down the track, but I know someone who can.
We have tourist rides, so we'll get you a good helmet.
You just bring your coat and your shoes.
We wear the helmet and we're good.
Yeah.
Everyone can come guys.
Free mouse surprise for everyone.
I would love it.
(31:52):
We want to thank Lauren one more time for sharing her experience with us today.
A special thank you to the exquisite Dr.
Carolyn Cromwell for her insight and expertise.
Thank you for joining us on another episode.
of taking a breath.
For more information on risk prevention and community, please visit stoptheclot.org.
(32:14):
We know the patient because we are the patient.
Together with listeners like you, we can collectively stop the clot.
For more information, visit StopTheClaw.org.
Another Everything Podcast production.
(32:34):
Visit everythingpodcast.com, a division of Patterson Media.
Subscribe wherever you get your podcast.
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