The National Blood Clot Alliance and Kansas City Chiefs Offensive Lineman Trey Smith Team Up to Tackle Blood Clot Awareness

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Blood Clot Alliance (NBCA), the nation's leading patient advocacy organization for blood clot patients, announced today that they are teaming up with National Football League (NFL) Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman and blood clot survivor, Trey Smith, to bring more attention and awareness to this "silent killer."

"In early 2018 I was diagnosed with pulmonary emboli, or blood clots in my lungs," said Smith. "Prior to my diagnosis, I had no idea of how common blood clots were. Blood clots do not discriminate. They can affect anyone, regardless of age, ethnicity, or race. I want to bring more awareness to life-threatening blood clots and help encourage others, especially athletes, who are currently experiencing what I've gone through."

The collaboration includes a variety of education and awareness initiatives including Smith's recent selection of NBCA as his charity of choice for the NFL's 2022 "My Cause My Cleats" campaign and a sit-down interview with fellow pulmonary embolism survivor, Olympic swimmer and three-time Olympic medalist, Katie Hoff, who has served as NBCA's official Ambassador since 2021.

"The fear and confusion I felt when I learned that I had blood clots in my lungs was overwhelming," says Hoff. "Like Trey, I was young, and in peak condition as an Olympic athlete and, overnight, everything changed. I understand the dramatic impact blood clots can have on people's lives, including their mental health, and I was honored to have the opportunity to represent the National Blood Clot Alliance and sit down with Trey for this interview."

Being diagnosed with pulmonary emboli completely changed Trey's life and nearly derailed his promising football career. But like many others, especially athletes who are often perceived as "too young" or "too healthy" to consider a blood clot diagnosis, Trey had to self-advocate, pushing for additional testing after initially being misdiagnosed with an upper respiratory infection.

"Patient engagement, education, and empowerment is central to everything we do at NBCA," says Volunteer President, and fellow pulmonary embolism survivor, Leslie Lake. "Trey's experience exemplifies just how critical the patient voice is to improving outcomes for all patients. As the leading patient advocacy organization, NBCA brings together blood clot patients and clinicians to advance care and influence guidelines. We're honored to have Trey alongside us working to help Stop the Clot®."

Stay tuned for more updates and join the conversation on social media by following the National Blood Clot Alliance on social media @StoptheClot and using #NBCAandTrey and #StopTheClot.

To watch the full interview with Trey Smith: https://www.stoptheclot.org/news/treysmith/

The National Blood Clot Alliance is the nation's leading nonprofit voluntary health organization dedicated to advancing the prevention, early diagnosis and successful treatment of life-threatening blood clots such as deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. NBCA's Sports & Wellness Institute launched in 2020 to address the growing concern over professional and amateur athletes developing blood clots and frequent misdiagnosis. Each year NBCA serves more than 3 million people with information, resources, and support. For more information about NBCA please contact [email protected] or visit www.stoptheclot.org.

SOURCE National Blood Clot Alliance