Dear Santa…

This time of year, children all over write letters to Santa with their Christmas wishes.  I may be grown up, but “believing” is part of the season and here’s my Christmas letter to Santa.

Dear Santa.

This year for Christmas, I would like a cure for preeclampsia.  I hope to know what causes it and how not only I can prevent it from happening to me in the future, but how others can prevent it as well.

I wish for no more sick mommies and no more premature babies.

In 2011, I want more women to know the symptoms of preeclampsia so that they can recognize early the danger they may be in and seek treatment and care from a doctor who is equally aware of what to look for.

For those women and families who have already experienced fear, pain and loss because of preeclampsia, I ask for them to find strength and comfort from those who have walked a similar road.

My hope is that we’ll better understand the future health implications for both mothers and babies of preeclampsia related pregnancies.

Signed,

Preeclampsia Survivor

All of these things are being worked on every day by the volunteers and staff of the Preeclampsia Foundation.  If you are looking for a way to be someone’s Santa this year, please consider a donation to the Preeclampsia Foundation through our Promise Walk.  You can make a general donation or attribute it to a nearby walk.

Every dollar you donate makes a difference.  We appreciate your support!

2011 Promise Walk Planning

Yes, it’s already underway!  We have begun work on our 2011 Promise Walk season.  And we are looking for more coordinators to host walks in their city/town.  Planning walk can seem overwhelming, but with a National Walk team and veteran walk coordinators to help you along the way, hosting a walk can be easier than you think.

What if there is a walk already in your area and you still would like to volunteer your help?  Great!  We’d love to have you!  Walk coordinators can always use the assistance.  If there is an area of expertise you are interested in, let them know.  Many walks need media outreach, sponsorships, and other items.  Know of a business that would donate or sponsor a walk?  Let us know!

If you are interested, please contact becky.sloan@preeclampsia.org for more information.

 

 

Photo Highlights of 2010

Here are some quick photo highlights from some of our 2010 Promise Walk events.  You can locate more photos on our flickr and  facebooks pages.

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Huge thank you to ALL of our 2010 Promise Walk coordinators!  Without you, this year would not have been the success it was.  Your efforts are much appreciated.  The Preeclampsia Foundation’s Promise Walk for Preeclampsia events could not take place without you!

The 2010 season ends and 2011 planning begins

You did it…we did it….we reached our 2010 goal of $150,000! Today, August 31st, marks the end of the 2010 Promise Walk season and we actually surpassed the goal by about $18,000.   Amazing!   The hard work of our volunteers, our wonderful sponsors, and everyone who supported a walk deserves a big ‘thank you’.    So ‘THANK YOU!’

While we are enjoying the high of reaching our goal, we are already thinking about the 2011 walk planning season.   2010 brought us many positive changes, stories of success, and new volunteers are crawling out of the woodwork.    There have been many volunteers working behind the scenes over the summer to ensure that 2011 will be a year of even more success, continued positive change, and making strides towards an even bigger goal.

Want to help us reach our goal?    Join a Promise Walk in your area or start one if there is not already one in place.

Contact becky.sloan@preeclampsia.org for more information.

Final 2010 walk to be held in Stahlstown, PA

Chrissy and Ryan Keller have coordinated a Promise Walk in their local area in memory of Emma, their daughter and sister to new baby brother, Wyatt.   Please join the Keller’s on August 21st to walk in memory of Emma and all the babies and mothers we have lost to preeclampsia and to honor those who have survived this disease.   If you can’t join the walk, please take a moment to donate to the Promise Walk:  http://www.promisewalk.org/

Read the Keller’s inspiring story here:   http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/westmoreland/s_695070.html

Crossing the finish line

Your heart is pumping, your legs are aching, your lungs are burning as you suck in every gasp of oxygen, but it’s all okay, because your eyes see the finish line. Thousands are waving flags and screaming their hearts out for you. “You can do it!” OK, maybe a little melodramatic since most of our walks are only a couple of miles in length, but I feel the intensity of that drama as the Promise Walk for Preeclampsia has just taken a celebratory stride across the finish line. That’s right – we hit our goal! $100,000 in a few short months.

So why are you looking at those bright pink footsteps on our home page and wondering why somebody just lapped you? Because we have just been given an amazing opportunity to make a huge impact on preeclampsia research and we have 21 walks still to go. We can do this!

This has not been announced yet (well, I guess it has now!), but the Preeclampsia Foundation has received a grant to develop the first ever National Preeclampsia Registry & BioBank (PRBB). The grant is enough to make a serious dent in developing the infrastructure needed, but we’ll need more money to fully realize our goal. The goal of this Registry is to rapidly advance research efforts into the causes of preeclampsia and to identify novel avenues of treatment and prevention, through the enrollment of thousands of affected women and their family members. It will cost a lot of money to enroll over 10,000 participants that we need to advance research. The payoff could be huge. With the recent advancements in genetics, including the fields of genomics and proteomics, researchers are very excited by the progress that could be made with this kind of resource.

We’ve already proven we can meet our goal! Another 50,000 strides toward a new finish line could make a huge difference in preeclampsia research. If you haven’t already, please consider making a contribution to the Promise Walk for Preeclampsia. If you already have given, even some additional pocket change can and will make a difference as we huff and puff our way around ONE MORE LAP!

If you’d like, read more about this concept of a patient-driven Registry in our Community Forum.

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!