Brian Vickers will be out at least three months
FONTANA, Calif. – This isn't the way Brian Vickers wanted to promote Blood Clot Awareness Month.
Yet there he was Sunday morning, wearing street clothes instead of a firesuit and announcing he'll be out at least three months while on blood-thinning medication after doctors found small blood clots in his lungs Thursday.
"It's pretty frustrating, but hey, I've been here before," said Vickers, who has missed races on several occasions due to clot-related problems. "That's life. You've got to keep fighting. You can't give up. You never know what tomorrow holds."
Brett Moffitt will drive Michael Waltrip Racing's No. 55 car at Auto Club Speedway after Vickers took himself to a Santa Monica hospital Thursday after landing in Los Angeles.
The chest pains he was experiencing felt familiar to the clots he'd had in the past. Sure enough, doctors discovered Vickers had small blood clots in each of his lungs.
Ironically, Vickers has been heavily involved in raising awareness about the symptoms of clots and what people should do if they feel them (immediately call a doctor). The promotional efforts are through Janssen Pharmecuticals drug Xarelto – which Vickers is now forced to take again for the first time since 2013.
Drivers cannot race if they are on blood thinners, because there's too much risk of excessive bleeding if they are involved in a crash. That's why Vickers was not taking Xarelto recently (doctors' prescriptions can range from three months to life).
It's the latter possibility that worries Vickers, who has battled back again and again after medical problems to get back into the car. Most recently, Vickers had December surgery to repair a hole in his heart, then missed the first two races of the season before returning for the Las Vegas Motor Speedway race earlier this month.
On Sunday, Vickers acknowledged he's concerned about the future of his career and has thought about it "about a thousand times" since the latest setback.
"Am I worried? Yeah, of course," he said. "Have I given up hope? No. Through those three months, I'll try to figure out what makes sense with my doctors – if I can come back off of them and go racing, if there's some kind of plan that works. And if not, then that's that."
Michael Moye, director of marketing for Janssen, told Paste BN Sports the company fully backs Vickers.
"We are going to stay behind Brian 100% no matter which way this plays out," Moye said. "He is a fantastic spokesperson for millions of people living with clotting conditions. Brian really helps represent them and get the word out. We think this is an opportunity to get more people to their doctor talking about the treatment options."
Vickers said he expects to return to the No. 55 car when and if he is cleared by his doctors – which would be only after he is off Xarelto.
In the meantime, Vickers will continue to spread the word about clotting, only now in the role of a person all too familiar with the message.
"By no means have I given up," he said. "I don't know what's next. I'm going to be on blood thinners for the next three months, and after that I'm going to do all I can to get back in a race car."
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