My name is Hollie Olding. I am 21 years old and I have played football since the age of 5. My previous clubs are Brighton and Hove Albion Women, Chelsea and I have played for England u15, u17 and u19s.

Playing with England I travelled the world even playing in the Women’s U17 World Cup which held place in Jordan.

At the age of 17 I decided to move my football career over to America where I was offered a scholarship to play football and go to University.

One year ago, in late October 2019, I was admitted to hospital and was diagnosed with blood clots in both lungs, known as pulmonary embolism (PE). At that point I had no idea what blood clots or a PE was or how they affected someone’s body, or even the causes.

I remember having a pain in my leg like I had never experienced before

I remember having a pain in my leg like I had never experienced before, but had thought it was perhaps a muscle ache, but I continued to play for several months, may be even then with blood clots on my lungs that I didn’t know about.

I developed a dry cough

Then at the end of September I developed a dry cough that just wouldn’t go, it wasn’t a cold or allergy or anything I could think of, but again, I carried on playing.

In late October 2019 my team and I were travelling to Florida for two games on a Friday night and another game on a Sunday. On the Sunday night after the game we returned to Pittsburgh. Although I played the whole game and didn’t have any symptoms that bothered me, the next morning I started to cough up blood. It was then that knew something was wrong and was taken to hospital where the doctors ran some tests. After a day in the hospital, I was told I had pneumonia. Even though I had other symptoms they thought I was too healthy to have a PE and so did not carry out scans or other tests to investigate for this. But pneumonia was a misdiagnosis.

they thought I was too healthy to have a PE

The very next day my symptoms of coughing up blood were worse, so my physio took me back to the hospital and insisted they scan my lungs. As soon as they did a CT scan, they found blood clots all over both lungs. I had loads of clot in my left lung, and some in my right. They said my lungs were very damaged and scarred lungs.

At the start they thought I was too healthy and fit to have a PE! Then when I was diagnosed apparently the doctors couldn’t wait to meet me because I was such an ‘unusual case’.

I was in hospital for three days, before being discharged and told to keep taking anticoagulation – ‘blood thinners’ for six months.

for the first time ever I could not play or train in the game I loved

That was the worst time. The medication meant I that for the first time ever I could not play or train in the game I loved. I found this extremely difficult; the PEs impacted on my physical health and also my mental health suffered. It was really tough. I had gone from being extremely fit and active, to not even being able to make it up the stairs because I would get so out of breath.

I had many follow up appointments and scans during which the doctors suggested the cause was due to taking a combined oral contraceptive pill and constant long-haul flights which I had to make for football.

There was no history of clots in my family, so it does seem it was the pill and long periods of being sat down travelling.

I would like to spread awareness of the condition especially in female athletes who play football and use contraception

I am back in England and have now returned to training and playing football, I hope to get a professional contract soon. It is so great to be able to play again. I feel like I’m in a fortunate position because I did get a diagnosis and was able to overcome my illness and learn much more about blood clots. Now I would like to spread awareness of the condition especially in female athletes who play football and use contraception.