Summer 2009 • Vol. 9 No 3 In This Issue: A Not-So-Ordinary Day: How DVT Almost Cost One Women Her Foot It was an ordinary Wednesday morning in August for Linda F. when she went to the barn to check on her horse "Snickers." She bent down to pick up a bucket, and when she stood up she suddenly couldn't breathe. The side effects for the new prescription she was taking suddenly flashed through her mind and a wave of anxiety fell over her…read more What Are Blood Clots? Blood clots are common, potentially life-threatening, but treatable and generally preventable disorders that include two related conditions…read more Other featured articles: • Critical Limb Ischemia and Amputations • Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms • Legislation Introduced to Expand Medicare Benefit for Aneurysm Screening • Foot Pain Is Never Normal • What Is Lymphedema? • US Against Athero A Brief History The Vascular Disease Foundation (VDF) was founded in 1998 by Dennis Newman, a pioneer in ultrasound technology. Dennis built a successful company producing Doppler devices for detecting, among other medical issues, vascular disease. Dennis knew that the public and most medical professionals were unaware of many diagnostic and treatment options for vascular disease. This lack of knowledge really hit home when his cousin lost a leg to vascular disease. Dennis did what anyone would do to help a family member; he began to contact his network of medical professionals in search of information about vascular disease. It didn't take long for him realize that few resources were available for people suffering from this often silent and most certainly debilitating disease. So, Dennis did what few are able to do, he formed the Vascular Disease Foundation. Today, Dennis serves VDF as Chairman of the Board of Directors. In our short history, we have connected with many prominent vascular medicine societies and we regularly attend their annual meetings as well as include their representatives on our Board of Directors (since 2000). Since its inception in 1998, the Vascular Disease Foundation has shown steady growth in its ability to reach out to the general public and medical professionals alike and continues to provide timely and accurate information about vascular disease. We remain your most trusted source for information on vascular disease.