It was an odd coincidence that Vice President Dick Cheney was diagnosed with a Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) yesterday, since March is DVT awareness month. According to Robert Bazell's report this morning, the Vice President is doing well and detected the symptoms in time. WATCH VIDEO But this certainly brings a very important issue, and one that hits close to home here at NBC, to the forefront once again.
A DVT is a blood clot in the legs that, if gone undetected, can break loose, travel to the lungs and prove fatal. David Bloom, our former Weekend Today anchor and NBC News correspondent, lost his life due to a DVT while reporting from the front lines of Iraq in 2003. His wife, Melanie, has gone on an incredible campaign to raise awareness about DVT, since it is a condition that most people really do not know anything about. It takes more lives than AIDS and breast cancer combined in a given year, but is easily treatable if we know the signs. Many people perhaps do not even know what a DVT is, but certainly many more are aware of the condition now than they were a few years ago.
I have had the opportunity to get to know Melanie and her family very well over my past few years here at NBC. She is a tireless advocate of DVT awareness, and is saving lives every day. In fact, because March is DVT Awareness Month, Melanie is scheduled to be on the Today Show tomorrow to talk about her campaign. Her appearance is all the more timely now, given the news about the Vice President.
Do yourself a favor, and tune in to Melanie tomorrow. Read up about DVT. Check out the Prevent DVT website here. We look forward to welcoming her back to NBC once again tomorrow.