At age 17, La Monica Greene began NuvaRing in May 2009. A few weeks later, she began to experience chest pains and shortness of breathe. On June 21 of that year, she suffered a blood clot in one of her lungs resulting in her death.

La Monica dreamed of being a veterinarian and opening an office together with her sister. The two brought stray cats, birds and dogs to the house to nurse them.

La Monica was active in church. She was sweet and outgoing and loved to help, her mother said. “I wanted my kids to be loving, to have a heart. I didn’t want them to be cold-blooded.”

My daughter’s death “just blew all of us away.”