Meet Our New Walk Coordinators… or Become One Yourself!

National Walk Coordinator Becky Sloan describes a  Walk Coordinator as being a little like a party planner…if you’ve put on a birthday party, organized a wedding or planned an event you are definitely qualified.  This year, the Promise Walk have been fortunate enough to be joined by a number of new coordinators and their teams, all of who are eager to have a productive and successful Promise Walk season.  So take some time to get to know them… and think about joining their ranks!

Tiffany Trevers – San Jose, CA – Tiffany knew little of preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome until it struck in the 28th week of her pregnancy.  Her son would go on to spend almost three months in the NICU after being born just slightly over two pounds.  Fighting back from become quite ill even after delivery, Tiffany spent time in the ICU before being able to come home.  Her journey to the Preeclampsia Foundation helped her through her subsequent high risk pregnancy with her second son.
Amanda Meier – Denver, CO – Amanda says that her involvement with the Preeclampsia Foundation and the Promise Walk just “followed naturally” after the experiences she went through.  Having delivered her baby at 31 weeks after developing preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome, Amanda now is determined to raise awareness of preeclampsia in her hometown of Denver, Colorado, and has already organized local events beyond the 2011 Promise Walk.
Kellie Beadle – Indianapolis, IN – “I suffered severe postpartum PE with my first and only daughter…I feel the medical field needs to be more informative to expectant mothers about preeclampsia.  We attended multiple birthing classes and PE was never touched upon.  Knowing what I know now…I had many warning signs, but didn’t know that they were connected to PE.  I brushed off as normal pregnancy issues.”
Marlene Bradley – West Chester, OH – At 24 weeks into her pregnancy, doctors diagnosed Marlene with preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome.  Forced to deliver her baby in order to save her life, her daughter Madison didn’t make it.  Like so many, Marlene had never heard of preeclampsia or HELLP until faced with the impact they would have on her life.  Her later google searches brought her to the Preeclampsia Foundation for information and support.
The Michigan Team (Jamie Schmidt, Cindi Hillman, Kata Lakovic, Diane Williams, and Shannon Donoghue) – Lansing, MI - Jamie joined the Preeclampsia Foundation as a volunteer in 2008 after losing her son during the 5th month of her pregnancy.  Cindi joined in 2009 after losing her 25-year old daughter to preeclampsia and HELLP after delivering Cindi’s granddaughter.  Kata and Diane became involved after Kata gave birth in 2009 at 38 weeks due to Severe PE and Class I HELLP.  Shannon suffered from preeclampsia with both of her pregnancies, and thankfully both of her children were born healthy. She became a volunteer to help stop this disease.  They have all come together as a team to make a difference.

Each coordinator brings a different story, has each been touched in a different way, and has found strength through volunteering.  What is your story?   Share it…plan a walk today!

Wausau, WI mom noted as ‘heart and sole’ of local walk

One mom out of thousands echos what we all want: to make a difference not only for her daughter but for all future daughters.  Wausau mom, Denise Lang, says, “There’s exciting things happening with research that can hopefully make that difference, but the biggest thing is awareness.  If you know the symptoms and you’re talking about them with your doctor, that can ultimately save your life or your babies life…  Ten years from now, I hope I can say that we don’t have to do this anymore, that my daughter doesn’t have to worry about this.  That’s something that is very concerning to me, that my children if they decide to have families, this is something right now that they’re going to have to worry about in years to come.”

Read the rest of the story here about Denise’s Promise Walk efforts!

How can you help spread awareness?

Ask for a little sunshine, spread a little awareness

This past Saturday night I had an objective to have a fun night out with my husband at a local school fundraiser, because the last few weeks have been quite stressful for me. Little did I know that the evening would be not only fun, but an opportunity to talk about preeclampsia. I was walking around the silent auction tables getting ideas for the upcoming silent auction I would be running for my local Promise Walk, when the event coordinator, who I am friends with, asked me if I recognized that the MC was the local TV weatherman. My brain instantly thought….walk media OPPORTUNITY! The city I live in is huge, which can be beneficial to a non-profit organization, but also has numerous events going on daily and one can easily get lost in the non-profit media shuffle. I have found it is easier to get your event or story on the news if you know someone. I certainly don’t know the weatherman, but I did recognize him, as I have watched his broadcasts on occasion, so I felt comfortable enough to approach him.

I thought for over an hour about what I should say to him (you need to know that just walking up and talking about my story is not my strong suit, despite my strong personality). I figured the easiest way to start the conversation was to talk about the weather. I walked up without introducing myself, but acknowledging I watched his broadcast before, and asked him to make the sun shine next Saturday. He asked me why the sun needed to shine. I pointed across the bay to the Promise Walk site and told him about the walk. I explained that my son was born 8 weeks early due to preeclampsia and I was a code blue eclamptic seizure survivor. I gave him a few preeclampsia stats, told him about some of those we have lost, some who continue to be sick, and those who struggle to make sense of ‘why me?’ I also told him that while it is important for the walk to raise funds for research grants, another goal and objective of the Foundation is to spread awareness. He immediately said that more people needed to know about this disease. His next comment made me freak out inside. “You should come on our morning show to tell people about this disease!” I immediately panicked thinking that while my ‘spiel’ with him was going well, I can’t go on a morning show, but maybe my co-coordinator could. She loves to get in front of a crowd, especially to a crowd that could reach thousands about preeclampsia. As I was thinking about how great an opportunity this may be, the weatherman said he didn’t have a card to give me. “No problem,” I say, “I have one, I will be right back!” I gave him my card, he gave me the name of the morning show person I should contact, and thanked me for talking to him. Who knew (although I secretly hoped and am still hoping) that asking for the sun to shine on May 8th would lead to a possible media connection.

The Promise Walk has a monetary goal that we are confident we can reach, but just as important, we need to keep our awareness objective in sight at all times. As my new weatherman friend said, “People need to know about this disease.” I am still hoping that my interaction with the weatherman will lead to media coverage for my local walk, but at the very least, one more person is now aware of preeclampsia.

May is Preeclampisa Awareness month, so take this opportunity to spread a little sunshine and awareness of your own!

May is Preeclampsia Awareness Month

May is Preeclampsia Awareness Month and that means a lot of great awareness building events and activities are going on across the country! You can do your part by encouraging your local community newspapers and radio stations to write a story spotlighting the toll that preeclampsia takes on women, babies and families, citing any of the recent statistics that have been published such as maternal mortality rates, increasing numbers of older women having babies (and therefore having a greater chance of getting preeclampsia), or even your own story as an illustration of how important it is to raise awareness and know the warning signs. If you’d like helping developing your “pitch”, please contact Director of Communications Jill Siegel at jill.siegel@preeclampsia.org. Don’t be afraid to speak up in your local media. Awareness saves lives!

State and city public officials across the country have proclaimed the month as Preeclampsia Awareness Month. You can see some of those proclamations on our Promise Walk website – dozens of Promise Walks for Preeclampsia are being held across the country with related activities such as guest speakers and memorial events.

Executive Director Eleni Tsigas will be a guest on a VoiceAmerica radio talk show on Monday, May 3 at 1 PM EDT so be sure to tune in via your computer at “A Labor of Love” to call in and share your own thoughts and experiences.

Finally, the entire preeclampsia community is encouraged to participate in a Twitter chat about preeclampsia hosted by the March of Dimes on May 11 at 3 EDT. Follow us on Twitter and look for #pregnancychat to participate in this live event. Not sure how? Contact Social Networking Coordinator Denise Lang about how to get in on the “tweets.” Also look for our guest column on “NewsMomsNeed”, the March of Dimes official blog for moms.

Read more about these and other Preeclampsia Awareness Month activities in our Press Room.

Proclamations & a message from Gov. Perry of TX!

Irvine ~ City of Irvine, CA proclaims April as Preeclampsia Awareness Month!  (this walk is April 24th)

Chicago ~ Mayor Richard Daly proclaims May 23rd as Preeclampsia Awareness Day!

San Diego ~ Mayor Jerry Sanders proclaims May Preeclampsia Awareness Month!

Dallas ~ Mayor Tom Leppert proclaims May Preeclampsia Awareness Month!

Atlanta ~ Governor Mayor Sonny Perdue proclaims May 9-15th Preeclampsia Awareness Week!

Governor Rick Perry sends a message:  “As Governor of Texas, I am pleased to extend greetings to everyone attending the Preeclampsia Foundation’s Promise Walk for Preeclampsia.   This event held in more the 25 cities across the nation, will shine a bright light on this dangerous preganancy complication that affects hundreds of thousands of American mothers and babies each year.  I commend everyone involved in this event.  Through your participation, you are extending a promise to women around the world – a promise for earlier diagnosis, better treatment and healthier pregnancies.

First Lady Anita Perry joins me in wishing you all a wonderful event.
Sincerely,
Rick Perry”