Tampa, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/28/2017 -- Even elite athletes are not invulnerable to blood clots.

This is the message Greg Grambor wants people to understand. He is the president of Vascular PRN, a Tampa, Florida-based national distributor of pneumatic compression devices for the prevention of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and other conditions.

"It's not just the elderly and the surgical patients in the hospitals and nursing homes who are at risk," Grambor said. He was recently gratified to see a story in a popular magazine about a healthy athlete who had a brush with a dangerous clot.

Writing in Reader's Digest, Jen Babakhan tells the story of Mary Dillhoff, who is not only a marathon runner but also a surgeon. She is in such good shape that she ran a full marathon while 26 weeks pregnant.

Shortly thereafter, however, Dillhoff began having significant shortness of breath. Despite her medical training, she erroneously attributed it to her pregnancy. Soon, though, after driving in her car for several hours, her lower left leg was swollen and discolored. She then knew she had a deep vein thrombosis and that her earlier shortness of breath had likely been due to a pulmonary embolism that, while minor, could have been fatal.

Dr. Dillhoff's subsequent treatment was lengthy and nerve-wracking, but she was able to safely deliver her baby and then receive surgical treatment of the blood clot.

The risk of deep vein thrombosis is some four to five times greater in pregnant women.

"Here we have a medical professional with elevated risk factors who failed to recognize clear symptoms of DVT and pulmonary embolism in herself," Grambor said. "And not only that, but she was in extraordinary health in general. It just goes to show you that it can happen to anyone, and we all need to understand the risks."