Melanie Bloom, wife of the late NBC News correspondent David Bloom, is working to bring awareness to the condition that took her husband's life. Deep Vein-Thrombosis, or DVT, is a fatal blood clot that takes more lives each year than breast cancer and AIDS combined.
Bloom founded the Coalition to Prevent Deep-Vein Thrombosis and her group is focusing this year on bringing awareness to cancer patients because their treatment increases risks.
"Cancer changes the clotting factors in the blood and so does chemotherapy ... then add to that maybe you’re laying down, you’re having surgery, so you’re not moving around as much ... keeping that blood flowing is very important," Bloom said.
Bloom also reflected on her husband's legacy and the special kinship she feels with military spouses who made the ultimate sacrifice having lost loved ones overseas.
"You never forget the ones you loved when they go. It's always fresh and he's missed every single day. I see his face in our daughter's faces," she said.
Watch the entire PRESS Pass conversation above to hear more from Melanie Bloom about DVT and her husband's relationship with American troops while covering the war in Iraq.
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Thank you for this interview, and letting others know of this important concern. I am 3 months into recovery from DVT in my leg, and consider myself extremely lucky to not only still have my leg, but also still alive with my family. Melanie Bloom's dedication to this cause is so noble, so needed, and so appreciated. Thank you.
Several days ago I woke up with severe leg pain and cramps. Because of increased public awareness of DVT (I had recently been very busy at the office and was sitting for hours at a time without taking breaks), I knew to seek medical attention, and an enormous clot was found in my leg. I am now recovering and have been placed on blood thinners. If I had not been aware of DVT through the dedication of people like Melanie Bloom, I might have just ignored it with disastrous circumstances. Thank you.