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Erika Langhart  - Age 24  Died, massive Pulmonary Embolisms

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“What  counts  in  life  in  not  the  mere  fact  that  we  have  lived.  It  is  what  Difference  we  have  made  to  the  lives  of  others  that  will  determine  the  significance  of  the  life  we  have  led.”
Nelson Mandela

Our beautiful, caring, sweet 24-year old daughter Erika was planning to come home for  Thanksgiving  on  Wednesday,  November 23,  2011. On Monday, November 21, I had just  talked to her over the weekend and emailed her to tell her how much her dad and I  were  looking  forward  to  having  her  home  from  where  she  lived  and  worked  in  Washington,  DC.  That  evening  I  received  a  call  from  her  phone.  I  picked  up  the  call,  expecting  it  to  be  her,  and  said,  “Can’t  wait  to  see  you ” .

Instead  it  was  her  boyfriend  who  told  me  that  Erika  had  collapsed  and  was  being  rushed  to  the  hospital.  WHAT?  HOW  CAN  THIS  BE?  He  did  not  know.  Frantically  we  contacted  the  emergency  room  and  talked  with  the  ER  doctor  treating  Erika.  We  learned  that  she  had  suffered  massive  double  pulmonary  embolisms,  literally  out  of  nowhere.  One  of  the  very  first  questions  the  doctor  asked  was  whether  she  was  on  birth  control,  and  if  so  what  type. 

As  soon  as  the  doctors  learned  that  she  was  using  the  NuvaRing,  they  removed  it.  They  told  us  that  we  needed  to  get  to  the  hospital  as  soon  as  we  could.  With  just  a  couple  of  hours  to  prepare,  we  quickly  did  research  on  the  NuvaRing  and  were  shocked  to  find  that  there  was  a  great  deal  of  concern  and  many  incidents  of  women  suffering  from  blood  clots  that  could  then  cause  embolisms.  The  NuvaRing  was  at  that  moment  being  studied  by  the  FDA,  we  learned.

We  were  able  to  get  on  a  flight  from  Phoenix  to  Washington,  DC,  at  midnight  that  night.  With  information  printed  out  on  the  subject,  we  spent  much  of  the  flight  reading  about  the  serious  issues  of  blood  clots  and  pulmonary  embolisms  as  a  result  of  use  of  the  NuvaRing. To say we were terrified  for our daughter is an understatement.

We  arrived  in  Washington,  DC,  early  Tuesday  morning  and  went  directly  to  the  hospital.   Erika  was  on  life  support  and  in  a  coma.  We  spent  three  torturous  days  hoping  for  the  best  and  fearing  the  worst.  The  doctors  told  us  that  the  pulmonary  embolisms  were  a  direct  result  of  the  NuvaRing.  On  Thanksgiving  morning  the  neurosurgeon  informed  us that  our  sweet  daughter  Erika  was  irreversibly  brain  dead. 

That  Thanksgiving  day  we  chose,  as  we  knew  our  caring,  wonderful  daughter  would  want  us  to,  to  donate  her  organs  –  all  of  which,  with  the  exception  of  her  lungs  which  were  so  terribly  damaged  that  they  could  not  be  used,  ultimately  helped  other  people.

Two  weeks  after  our  daughter’s  passing  we  were  back  in  Washington,  DC,  to  speak  at  the  hearings  that  were  ironically  and  sadly  being  conducted  on  these  third  and  fourth  generation  contraceptives.  Our  only  remaining  purpose  in  life  is  to  try  to  help  Erika’s  life  make a difference.

Thank you for helping us make a Difference.
Rick and Karen Langhart



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