A Tribute to Our Volunteers

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. ~Margaret Mead

Many words come to mind when describing a volunteer: devoted, inspiring, passionate. But those words feel pale & generic when faced with the deep motivation and strength that makes up the members of the Preeclampsia Foundation’s volunteer core.

Volunteers come to our Foundation for many different reasons: mourning the loss of a loved one. Mourning the loss of that “perfect” pregnancy experience. Celebrating their gratitude in having a new life. Honoring a loved one’s experience which they can only hope to never personally understand.

But they stay for one overwhelming reason. It is their desire that no woman & no family, should feel as alone, insecure and frightened as one does when faced with an overwhelming health crisis like preeclampsia, HELLP syndrome or eclampsia. From improving prenatal education to engaging with health care providers to supporting families after their preeclampsia experience, our volunteers are a family who support impacted families through every step of the journey!

This week many organizations are celebrating National Volunteer Appreciation Week, but words are simply not sufficient to describe why we love our volunteers, because without them, this Foundation would be nothing. We were started by “thoughtful, committed citizens,” and we continue to push our mission forward through an ever-increasing number of those citizens.

So to all of you out there supporting this cause and this Foundation’s mission of hope, we love you and your beautiful vision for what this world will look like without hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. THANK YOU!

One Family at a Time

The St. Louis volunteer team at their inaugural 2012 walk.

St Louis Promise Walk for Preeclampsia Coordinator Jen McCurdy sees her walk through both the heart of a survivor as well as the eyes of a therapist dedicated to helping families with birth psychology and reproductive health issues.

Her journey to the Promise Walks truly started with her first pregnancy.  She was 37 weeks pregnant when she woke up feeling flu-like only to find out it was much more serious.  Her blood pressure had spiked and she was diagnosed with preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome.  Her little boy was born healthy and she later went on to have another pregnancy.  Once again, not able to avoid preeclampsia, this time she ended her pregnancy at 35 weeks after two placental abruptions and an emergency c-section.  Thankfully, her son survived as well.

In St Louis’ second year of their Promise Walk, the team of coordinators hope to raise $9000 and have as many as 200 in attendance.  Jen hopes that their walk provides comfort to those touched by the disease as well as awareness of the illness to those who may not have yet heard of preeclampsia and its symptoms.  She subscribes to the notion of the “walking wounded” and believes her work for the Preeclampsia Foundation helps heal her lingering emotional wounds.

Ultimately, Jen would like to find a cure for preeclampsia, but will be thrilled and feel successful knowing that if she has helped create an event that touches and brings comfort to just one family, she will have done a powerful thing.

Held at Millennium Park in Creve Coeur, the St Louis Promise Walk is Saturday, May 18th.  You can register online at http://www.promisewalk.org/stlouis.

Making Strides, Delivering Hope in 50 Cities Across the US

The 2013 Promise Walk for Preeclampsia™ season has officially started, and we are excited to be adding a dozen new cities to our list of walk sites! But, we need your help to spread awareness and raise $500,000 toward lifesaving research and education for ALL pregnant woman.

First: Register with the walk closest to you in the list below. (Not a walk near you? Consider registering as part of our virtual walk team at www.promisewalk.org/virtual!)

Second: Customize your personal fundraising page and share it out with all your friends and family to start fundraising for your team. Try to secure at least 15 team members for your local walk team!

Third: Reach our to your local walk coordinator to find out if there is more that you can do to support the awareness and promotion of the walk in your local community. Posting flyers, organizing work fundraisers and telling others about the event are all easy ways to make an impact on awareness in your local community.

Finally: Join us on the day of the walk and wear your shirt proudly throughout the rest of the year. We can’t wait to have you join us to “Make Strides and Deliver Hope” in 2013!

AL, Birmingham	Birmingham, Alabama
AZ, Phoenix	Phoenix, Arizona
CA, Orange County	Orange County, California
CA, San Diego	San Diego, California
CA, San Jose	San Jose, California
CO, Denver	Denver, Colorado
DC, Washington	Washington, District of Columbia
FL, Miami	Miami, Florida
GA, Atlanta	Atlanta, GEORGIA
IA, Ames	Ames, Iowa
IA, Davenport	Davenport, Iowa
IA, Des Moines	Des Moines, Iowa
IL, Chicago	Chicago, Illinois
IN, Indianapolis	Indianapolis, Indiana
MA, Boston	Boston, Massachusetts
MD, Westminster	Westminster, Maryland
MN, Rochester	Rochester, Minnesota
MO, Kansas City	Kansas City, Missouri
MO, St. Louis	St. Louis, Missouri
NC, Asheville	Asheville, North Carolina
NC, Charlotte	Charlotte, North Carolina
NC, Raleigh	Raleigh, North Carolina
NH, North Conway	North Conway, New Hampshire
NJ, Cranford	Cranford, New Jersey
NV, Las Vegas	Las Vegas, Nevada
NY, Albany	Albany, New York
NY, Brooklyn	New York City, New York
NY, Liverpool	Syracuse, New York
OH, Cleveland	Cleveland, Ohio
OH, West Chester	West Chester, Ohio
OK, Oklahoma City	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
OR, Portland	Portland, Oregon
PA, Easton	Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania
PA, Erie	Erie, Pennsylvania
PA, Hershey	Hershey, Pennsylvania
PA, Munhall	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
PA, Philadelphia	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
SC, Columbia	Columbia, South Carolina
SC, Greenwood	Greenwood, South Carolina
TN, Nashville	Nashville, Tennessee
TX, Atlanta	Atlanta, TEXAS
TX, Dallas/Fort Worth	Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas
TX, Houston	Houston, Texas
TX, San Antonio	San Antonio, Texas
VA, Abingdon	Abingdon, Virginia
VA, Richmond	Richmond, Virginia
WA, Kennewick	Kennewick, Washington
WI, Richland Center	Richland Center, Wisconsin
WI, Wausau	Wausau, Wisconsin

Purses For Preeclampsia to Honor CLB and Benefit the Preeclampsia Foundation

Jordana McVey, Owner of Jordana Paige Designs and loving aunt to Cooper Landon Barnett

UPDATE: Due to tech errors on Wednesday, July 18 that delayed the “Purses for Preeclampsia” benefit sale, Jordana Paige has generously rescheduled the event for Thursday, July 26 at 8 am PST. For more information, visit http://jordanapaige.com/blog/category/preeclampsia. We look forward to another great day of awareness and fundraising! Thank you all for your continuing support!

Today we are doing an interview with Jordana McVey, of Jordana Paige, the handbag and knitwear design company. Jordana will be holding a very special fundraiser on her website, www.jordanapaige.com, starting at 8 am PST/11 am EST Wednesday, July 18 to benefit the Preeclampsia Foundation, in memory of her nephew Cooper.

First of all, would you tell us a little bit about your family’s experience with preeclampsia and what inspired your fundraising event?

On Thanksgiving day in 2010 my sister, Elizabeth and her husband, Tyler, announced she was pregnant with their first baby. The family jumped up and down and cried tears of joy.

At 23-weeks pregnant Elizabeth became very swollen. It was too early in her pregnancy to be swelling as she was. She didn’t feel well. Something was off. We took her blood pressure at home. The next day at her doctor’s appointment they alerted the doctor that her blood pressure was high. They checked it and her urine; 159/111 and protein in her urine. After being immediately rushed to the hospital her blood pressure had gone up to 170/110. Elizabeth had severe preeclampsia.

In denial at the time, I don’t think I could process how at risk my sister’s life was. At any moment she could have a seizure and go into a coma or die. Their baby, Cooper, had less than an 11% chance of surviving. They induced labor to stop the preeclampsia. When the nurse placed Cooper on Elizabeth’s chest the cry in the room did not come from Cooper, but was instead a mother’s wail at the loss of her child. The family held little Cooper, 11 oz and 11 inches long, kissed his nose that resembled his father’s and captured him in our memories. (Read more here of Elizabeth’s story and her involvement in the San Jose, Calif. Promise Walk)

It is in memory of Cooper that I am doing this fundraiser to raise both money for the Preeclampsia Foundation and awareness of this horrific disease.

How did you get started in creating purses? Tell us a little about the products that will be on sale for your Purses for Preeclampsia benefit.

I started my business, Jordana Paige, in 2002 while I was a freshman in college. Unsatisfied with the knitting bags available on the market, I set out to design a handbag that was stylish and function as an organized bag for carrying one’s knitting. From the beginning, my family has supported and encouraged me with my goals. My sister, Elizabeth, has modeled all my designs, both knitting bags and knitwear patterns. She’s become the recognizable face of Jordana Paige.

While Jordana Paige bags are designed with knitters in mind, they are loved by all types of women. All bags have myriad pockets for organizing daily purse items and are roomy, but not over-sized. Five styles in colors ranging from red to bronze to blue and every color in between will be available at Wednesday’s sale. You can find a complete list here.

What is Jordana Paige’s goal in raising money for the Preeclampsia Foundation?

Jordana Paige’s goal is to raise over $10,000 to benefit the Preeclampsia Foundation. I’m confident this goal can be met with your support of purchasing a bag and by spreading the word about the sale through Facebook, Twitter and your favorite social networking site.

If an individual wants to support the sale, what should they do?

The sale is this Wednesday, July 18th. Starting at 8am PST we’ll be releasing a different style and color bag at the top of the hour, every hour until all the bags are gone. All handbags have small imperfections that don’t meet our quality standards. They’re small imperfections like upside-down nameplates, minor flaws on the fabric or inner zipper pockets that have problems zipping properly. All bags will be sold for $50 each with 100% of that money being donated to the Preeclampsia Foundation. More details about the sale are available here.

Be sure to share this blog post, like the Purses for Preeclampsia Facebook page, and Tweet about @JordanaPaige to share details of the sale all day tomorrow.

Coming Together… over me and you

With over 220 people already registered, the Chicago Promise Walk for Preeclampsia is one of the biggest in the country and has so many stories–stories of survival, stories of loss, stories of pain.  These women and their families come together now on May 20^th to acknowledge those journeys and raise awareness of preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome.

The Chicago Promise Walk was born of another Preeclampsia Foundation event.  Saving Grace, the Foundation’s annual gala was held in Chicago in 2009.  Three of the volunteers from that event were so moved by the support and turnout that they decided to expand upon that success and bring the Promise Walk to Chicago.  In their first year, they brought in over $30,000.

Having introduced the option of an official 5k to the Promise Walk last year, Chicago will offer that again and also will host a full family fest at the conclusion of the walk.  Participants can enjoy the bounce house, face painting, balloon animals, a presentation from Dance Dance Dynamics and a visit from Ozzie, the Kane County Cougar’s mascot.

Johanna Aiken, Chicago Promise Walk Chair, looks forward to sharing in the camaraderie and support from fellow survivors and the families, friends and co-workers that attend.  “This year we have an OB-Gyn office team and another company, cleverbridge has a team. This increase in corporate responsibility is crucial. It spreads the awareness beyond someone’s immediate family and friends and shows people that their employers care.”

If you’d like to come together and enjoy a day filled with fun all while doing a good deed, register now at www.promisewalk.org/chicago.  Registration is $25 for adults and $10 for children.  For more information contact Johanna Aiken at johanna.aiken@preeclampsia.org.

From One Comes Many

When Becky Sloan went into code blue seizures shortly after arriving in the hospital emergency room she had little knowledge of preeclampsia.  She also had no idea that she shortly would become more than a new mother…she was about to dive head first into driving awareness of preeclampsia.

In 2007, Becky took on the role of coordinator for the San Diego Promise Walk.  She later went on to add the National Walk Director responsibilities, and this year she has overseen the inclusion of ACOG (American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) into our Promise Walks.  ACOG is holding their annual conference in San Diego and has chosen the Preeclampsia Foundation and the San Diego walk as their charity event.

Whatever Becky is doing must be working…two current walk coordinators, Meredith Drews in Orange County, CA and Autumn Spear in Seattle, WA first came to the Preeclampsia Foundation via attendance at the San Diego Promise Walk.  Jenette Zecena also first got involved with the Foundation through the San Diego walk.  Jenette now holds an annual softball tournament in memory of her son.  Jenette and her husband are also this year’s featured personal story of preeclampsia at the San Diego Promise Walk.

Becky’s dedication and passion hasn’t gone unnoticed by the Foundation supporters either.  At last year’s Saving Grace Gala, Becky was named Volunteer of the Year for her dedication to our mission.  Although honored to be recognized by the Foundation, Becky’s hope for this year’s walk and the coming years is for more local recognition and participation by the medical community.

Included in the event, this Sunday, May 6^th are speakers, fun family activities and of course, the walk.  Registration is still open at www.promisewalk.org/sandiego or register at the event.  For more questions, contact Becky at becky.sloan@preeclampsia.org.

In Our Day and Time…Remembering Emilly and Connor

“I never have thought that in our day and time; women could still die in childbirth…” commented Laura Morrison, the Oklahoma City Promise Walk for Preeclampsia  Coordinator.  Laura now knows all too well, however, how women are still dying.

This time last year Laura and her family were awaiting the birth of their first grandchild, a baby shower ahead and all those dreams and expectations.  Instead, their son’s girlfriend, Emilly, developed preeclampsia a month from her due date and the worst nightmare happened instead.  Emilly and baby Connor both died.  Emilly was just 23 years old.

Laura had barely heard of preeclampsia and didn’t know the signs and symptoms until they lost Emilly and Connor.  She now works with the Preeclampsia Foundation to change that for others.  Laura is holding her first annual Oklahoma City Promise Walk for Preeclampsia on May 12 at the Stars and Stripes Park.

Walk Day will include a raffle, silent auction, kids’ activities as well as a moment of remembrance for those lost and for survivors.   Well on their way to their goal of $8400, there is still time to register.  Go to www.promisewalk.org/oklahomacity to register or donate.  For more information, contact oklahomacity@preeclampsia.org.

Join, Laura and Emilly and Connor’s family and friends so that in our day and time, preeclampsia is eradicated.

Young Survivor Wins 2012 T-shirt Design Contest

2012 Promise Walk t-shirt design

The Promise Walk for Preeclampsia means something unique to each participant across the country… but this year for one young preeclampsia survivor, it means getting to see her artwork impact thousands!

Mya Detweiler, age 10, and her mother Dawn are no strangers to the Preeclampsia Foundation, or the Promise Walk. After experiencing severe preeclampsia and a harrowing premature delivery, Dawn turned her passion for the cause into action as a lead volunteer for the Foundation, including coordinating her own local Pennsylvania Promise Walk since the inaugural walks in 2005.

“Since she was little, Mya’s been helping me stuff goodie bags and hand out raffle baskets for various fundraisers to support the Foundation,” said Dawn. “When Mya found out about the t-shirt design contest, she was eager to participate, and this contest was a new way for her to get involved.”

Mya’s design incorporates the many different types of people who help the Foundation “Make Strides and Deliver Hope,” and will be featured on all of the 2012 Promise Walk shirts.

“I wanted to show all the different people that go to the Promise Walk to help, like dads and family members and friends,” Mya explained.  “My mom also helped me add a butterfly for people who walk because they remember moms and babies that they miss.” She was surprised and excited to learn that she had won the design contest out of more than a dozen design contenders.

“The design reflects not just the wonderful community that the Promise Walk brings together each year – people who walk, give and learn,” said executive director Eleni Tsigas, “but it also represents the promise we make to mothers around the world that they will have the chance to watch their own children grow and develop creativity and compassion for others.”

“I just thought it would be a neat chance for us to be creative together, but it’s turned out to be a very special experience,” Dawn added.  “A valuable lesson in how being dedicated to a cause and making a seemingly small contribution can really matter… and be fun at the same time!”

Be sure to register today at http://www.promisewalk.org for a walk near you to get your own 2012 Promise Walk t-shirt! And start thinking about your ideas for next year’s design contest.

Grabbed by the Hand and Led into Helping Others

Four time preeclampsia survivor, three time NICU mom and friend to a woman who lost her baby due to preeclampsia at 34 weeks, Cleveland Promise Walk for Preeclampsia Coordinator Brandi Bigelow knows the toll preeclampsia can take.

Sent home from the hospital after the birth of her first child with liver enzymes unknowingly twelve times the normal level, Brandi owes her life to a follow-up appointment for her daughter at the hospital.  The hospital staff was concerned upon seeing her, drew labs, took her blood pressure and then decided it was best to transfer her to another, larger hospital better able to care for Brandi as she was now in full-blown HELLP Syndrome.

Brandi initially refused the notion of treatment and moving hospitals.  That was until a nurse, according to Brandi, grabbed her by the hand and told her “that my liver was starting to fail and my kidneys didn’t look good either and if I refused treatment, I could die.”  Brandi acquiesced and thankfully recovered.  Three more times Brandi would fight for a healthy pregnancy only to develop preeclampsia once again.

Her final struggle for a “normal” pregnancy was the straw that broke the camel’s back for Brandi.  It’s the straw that lead her to bridge from supporter of the cause to become the Cleveland Promise Walk for Preeclampsia Coordinator.

This will be the first year for the walk in Cleveland and they are off to a strong start.  With plans for survivor stories, kids’ activities and a raffle already in place, the walk promises something for everyone.  To be held May 12^th at the Brookside Reservation, registration is now open and can be found at www.promisewalk.org/cleveland.   The cost is $20 for adults and $10 for children.  Prices increase to $25 for adults for walk-up registration.

For more information, contact Brandi Bigelow at cleveland@preeclampsia.org.

Catharsis Through Volunteerism

Amanda Basom found herself spending six weeks in the NICU watching her baby grow strong enough to come home…this was after her own ordeal with preeclampsia.  In the months that followed, Amanda decided to make her stressful, emotional experience into a positive one.

Amanda is now our Portland, OR Promise Walk for Preeclampsia coordinator…holding our first ever walk in Portland.

This coming May, the pain and stress of the birth of her daughter turns a tough time into a positive for so many others as those in Portland gather to raise awareness of preeclampsia and generate funds to combat the disease.  The day will include a special fundraiser at Oaks Amusement Park where walkers can purchase $15 bracelets to enjoy the afternoon at the park and a portion of the proceeds will go to the Preeclampsia Foundation.

When Amanda signed on as walk coordinator, she understood the task she was taking on was going to be a big one, but it’s been worth it.  “I had never done anything like it before, and it was a little intimidating, but volunteering has actually been very cathartic,” said Amanda when asked about the experience.

If you are in the Portland, OR area on May 12^th, join Amanda by registering at www.promisewalk.org/portland.  Registration is $20 for adults and $10 for children.  The walk begins in Oaks Park at “The Grove” picnic area.

For more information, contact Amanda Basom at Portland@preeclampsia.org.