Craig Cooper was 44 years old when he recovered from a blood clot. His mother, Margaret ‘Margie’ Cooper, did not have the same outcome when she died at age 63 after suffering a pulmonary embolism, or a blood clot, in the lungs.
Cooper and his family were devastated by her death, which came as a complete surprise.
“She was a healthy, vibrant lady,” said Cooper, a Noblesville resident. “She injured her kneecap, and a blood clot developed and went straight to her lungs. Blood clots, they do not discriminate with age or race or gender. They can happen to anybody at any time.”
After Cooper’s mother died in 2014, he and his brother, Carson, decided to start the American Blood Clot Association in her honor. Through the organization, the siblings hope to save thousands of lives and prevent others from going through what they went through by educating the public on signs and symptoms of blood clots.
Today, the Carmel-based association is still run by the brothers and has grown to have a nationwide reach. It is run by a volunteer staff of five people who are overseen by Cooper, who also works a full-time job.
“We get emails and posts all the time, people telling us across the country, ‘We looked at your site, we read the information, and it saved our life,’” Cooper said. “We have a Facebook support group as well that’s growing every day.”
Recently, the association received support from Kyren Williams, a Los Angeles Rams running back who wore cleats in honor of the American Blood Clot Association as part of the NFL My Cause My Cleats program.
Some of the main signs and symptoms of a blood clot, according to the American Blood Clot Association, are swelling in the affected arm or leg, pain and tenderness in the arm or leg, and skin discoloration. Other signs and symptoms include calf pain that feels like a cramp or a charley horse or the affected area of the leg or arm being warm to the touch. In some cases, there are no noticeable symptoms.
“It’s all about knowing the signs and symptoms and being able to get to that medical healthcare professional or center and have things taken care of,” Cooper said. “It’s the silent killer in the United States today.”
Additionally, Cooper and his brother have established “American Blood Clot Day,” which is celebrated annually on March 20, Cooper’s mother’s birthday.
Learn more at bloodclot.org.
