1st Annual 'Stop the Clot' Walk Celebrating Jeff McLean
Come for a spring walk in suburban Denver’s beautiful Hudson Gardens and help us “Stop the Clot”!
Join us on Sunday, April 29, from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m., for the First Annual “Stop the Clot” Walk Celebrating Jeff McLean. It will be a casual, family-fun walk around the gorgeous grounds of Littleton’s Hudson Gardens Event Center (SW suburb of Denver) to celebrate Jeff McLean and to benefit the National Blood Clot Alliance. Participants will meet in front of the Gift Shop and Rental Office near the front entrance on the east side of the Gardens. In the event of inclement weather, the event may be rescheduled. This event is free and open to the public.
The Hudson Gardens Event Center is conveniently located at 6115 South Santa Fe Drive, Littleton, CO 80120. The Gardens are one-half mile south of Bowles Avenue, and three miles north of interstate C-470. Located on the west side of Santa Fe Drive, they are across the street from Arapahoe Community College. Plenty of free parking! No pets or smoking are permitted on the grounds. Also, most paths are gravel and dirt, not paved.
Please click on the link below for additional information about the venue:
Please wear comfortable walking shoes, and bring sunscreen and a water bottle. (Additional water bottles and granola bars will be provided.) If interested, please bring a picnic blanket and a snack to share for a short rest period after the walk. Also, feel free to enjoy the Gardens before or after the walk, as they are free and open to the public April through November.
In the United States each year, approximately 2 million people experience a blood clot or a complication from one, and 300,000 people die of blood clots, which is more than all deaths from AIDS and breast cancer combined. A blood clot starts as a deep-vein thrombosis (DVT), in one leg or the pelvic region, which can break loose and travel to the lungs as a pulmonary embolism (PE). A PE is a medical emergency that can result in death in about 1 of every 3 people with the condition. Some risk factors for DVT and PE include a hospital or nursing home stay, major surgery, trauma, hip or knee replacement, obesity, older age, immobility, prolonged illness, or family history of clots or clotting disorders.
The walk is in celebration of Jeff McLean, who passed away from bilateral PEs in 2002 at age 34. He was a beloved son, brother, husband, and father of two young sons, ages 5 and 1 at the time of his death. Jeff was fit and healthy overall, but was seeking medical care for chronic shortness of breath. He was incorrectly diagnosed with asthma and anxiety, and died suddenly and unexpectedly. After his passing, our family learned that his death was caused by large blood clots to both lungs, and there was evidence of past resolving clots. A hereditary, hypercoagulable state was deemed the probable cause of the clots. Jeff's beloved sister, Jennifer McLean Brooks and other family members are organizing and participating in this fundraising walk to honor, remember, and celebrate Jeff's life and to raise public awareness about blood clots.
The National Blood Clot Alliance is a patient advocacy group that promotes awareness of the risk, prevention, and treatment of blood clots. The funds each of us donate to the walk and/or raise from pledges will go to the Alliance in support of their "Stop the Clot" Initiative. Those who give or raise $50 or more will receive a free Alliance t-shirt.
