A 'healthy' 33-year-old woman suffered a near-death experience on a long haul flight and has admitted it's a 'miracle' she's still alive.
When on a flight heading to the other side of the world, it can be so easy to get lost in the entertainment with the screen in front of you boasting many films and TV classics.
But Emily - who goes by the username 'alwayssingingmom' on TikTok - has a story that serves as an important reminder why passengers should be getting up once in a while during a long haul flight.
Early last month, Emily boarded the 13-hour non-stop flight from Toronto to Dubai and ended up collapsing just two-and-a-half hours before landing in the Middle East.
Advert
She explained in a viral TikTok video how she got up for the first time in ten hours for the loo, but before Emily reached the bogs, she collapsed.
"I was waiting for the bathroom and I got this really deep dull aching pain in my chest out of nowhere," Emily explained.
Advert
"I coughed three times and that was the last thing I remember."
Emily suffered a fall on the flight, which left her with a nasty-looking black eye and bruising across much of one arm.
She was unconscious for five minutes, but thankfully there was a doctor and 'helpful' flight attendants on hand to care for her.
Health tests were subsequently taken once the commercial plane had landed, where it was discovered Emily had suffered a saddle pulmonary embolism - a devastating and usually fatal blood clot.
Advert
Explaining the health condition, Healthline states: "Saddle PE is when a large blood clot (thrombus) gets stuck where the main pulmonary artery branches off into a Y-shape to go into each lung.
"The name refers to the fact that the clot 'saddles' on top of both branch arteries."
Symptoms of such a clot include chest pain, shortness of breath, coughing, fast heartbeat, low blood pressure and a fever.
Advert
It's important to consider blood clots while flying as clots can sometimes form in your legs during air travel because you are immobile for long periods of time, the American Society of Hematology notes.
They note spaces with little leg room for longer than eight hours increases your risk, while the use of oral contraceptives, being pregnant and smoking can increase your chances of developing a blood clot.
After spending six days in hospital and now on the mend, Emily has issued a warning to travellers.
"Please get up and move on your flights," she said. "If you are on oestrogen birth control or if you are doing hormone therapy for perimenopause, menopause please just talk to your doctor."
Callum Jones