I have been living with a clotting disorder for 16 years. I was only 20 when I experienced my first DVT and pulmonary embolism—and I didn’t even realise what was happening at the time. I was very active, so I assumed I had pulled a muscle in my leg. I was limping badly, and my mom told me that if it wasn’t better in three days, I needed to see a doctor. I brushed it off, insisting it was just a muscle strain. On the third night, while bathing, I noticed my leg had a bluish co

I can still remember the day we received that horrific phone call like it was yesterday… Newborn screening tests only started at the specific hospital the year Milandré was born, and they were not compulsory. I thank God every day that I gave permission for that test, even though at the time I had no idea what it was and just wanted the nurses to leave me alone. Milandré was only about a week old, and we were on our way back to our hometown after spending a few days with my p

During the first three months of my pregnancy, I contracted Covid‑19. At the 12‑week blood tests, the results showed a low risk for Down syndrome but a high risk for Trisomy 13 and Trisomy 18. At that stage, the fetal specialist did not observe anything unusual. As the pregnancy progressed, however, my gynaecologist noticed that the baby was falling further and further behind on the growth chart . We returned to the fetal specialist around 22 weeks. He detected a small hole i