The parents of an Edinburgh graduate who died of a blot clot are speaking out to raise awareness on how it can be spotted.
Katie McPherson, 23, was studying to become an occupational therapist when two hospitals failed to spot a blood clot in her leg and she was sent home with painkillers.
She died nine days later on January 26, 2003, from deep vein thrombosis.
Her parents Gordon and Jane have been campaigning to raise awareness of the condition.
DVT is a blood clot in a vein, usually in the leg and can be very dangerous. Symptoms include throbbing pain, swelling and warm skin around the painful area.
Jane told the Scottish Express: "I support Gordon in everything he does but I can't do it anymore. It's like reliving Katie's death - I was with her when she died.
"I want every single person to be aware of DVT. We now have a little granddaughter who is nine. Our son is absolutely adamant she is going to be tested to see if she's carrying the faulty gene.
"If she is, then the doctors are going to be informed. It's so preventable, it's a complete waste of life. Katie was happy. She was in her wee flat in Edinburgh, she was at Queen Margaret [University] and had a wee cat with her.
"She was absolutely, perfectly happy. And it shouldn't have happened."
Last year, Gordon was named the ambassador of the year by the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) - an organisation of specialists in blood coagulation and its disorders.
He finds the honour "humbling" especially as the recognition for his work has been slow coming closer to home.
He said: "Trying to get the Scottish Government to listen, to accept this is happening all over the world, it is happening here, seems to be the hardest part."
He remains committed to having politicians listen to him.
His latest petition is due to be considered by Holyrood's Public Petitions Committee next month while he has also requested some of Scotland's most iconic landmarks such as the Kelpies and Edinburgh Castle be lit in blue and red on October 13 to mark World Thrombosis Day.
He said 11,400 people per year succumb to conditions related to blood clots and thrombosis in Scotland every year - around one in every four deaths.
He said: "Katie is gone. I can't do anything about it. So why am I doing this? I know the hell it put our family through and I know for a fact it will affect an awful lot of other families.
"But I'd much rather I wasn't involved in this and Katie was still here. But hey ho, we've just got to make do with what we've got."
