I've never really been the athletic type.

In high school, I joined the orchestra, despite never attending a single violin lesson, to get out of doing mandatory sport.

So in September last year, when I was a little out of breath walking up the 29 stairs to my apartment, I was not too surprised.

But throughout the day, I found myself even shorter of breath than normal.

When a heaviness in my chest started to grow, I decided I was probably tired, so I laid down.

I sat up and it felt like I had just run a marathon. Soon, every breath I took was more excruciating than the last.

So I did what every Millennial does when they experience a problem: I called my mum.

The next thing I knew, two lovely paramedics took me down those 29 steps and rushed me to the nearest hospital.

There, a CT scan revealed multiple blood clots, or pulmonary embolisms (PE), in my lungs.

My mind was racing.

How did I, a healthy, albeit lazy, 28-year-old, end up in the emergency department with a serious illness?

It didn't make sense. Except, it did, and I just didn't understand it yet.

Four weeks before my PE, I had COVID-19 for the first time. It left me bedridden for a week with whole-body pains and night-time sweats that left my bed drenched.

According to new research, more Australians than ever are dying from clotting disorders due to the virus's damaging effects.

The estimated risk of ischaemic stroke is 3 to 10 times, and the risk of venous thromboembolism (a blood clot in the veins) is up to eight times as high after SARSCoV2 infection.

I also have ulcerative colitis (UC), a chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that affects the large intestine or colon.

Although my UC was well controlled, it turns out it can triple or even quadruple your risk of a blood clot compared to people without IBD.

Add in the fact that I was on an oral contraceptive, and the three factors combined to create the perfect storm.

Since then, things have returned to a state of relative normalcy. Despite the lingering trauma of nearly dying, I'm doing okay.

I'm still on blood thinners which make periods difficult to deal with, but otherwise, things are good - I was one of the lucky ones.