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!

San Jose Mission Family Walks in Memory of their Little Boy

Amy Hiett was pregnant with her fourth little boy when her world became forever changed.  She first had signs that something might be amiss at 26 weeks.  She went to the ER with headaches and vomiting and pain on her right side. Her labs came back ok, however, so she was sent home with what everyone thought was the stomach flu.

At her 30 weeks doctor appointment, after taking her blood pressure, her doctor immediately laid her on her side and said, “We need to get your BP down and your urine is +2. You will be on bed rest from here on out, and I need to prepare you for having a preemie because you will not make it to the end.”

As many other moms can attest to, bedrest when you have a child already at home is tough, when you have three kids at home, even harder.  But, Amy and her husband did the best they could to keep Amy rested and their baby well cared for.

At 34 weeks, on a Thursday, she went in for her weekly checkup.  She felt awful, but the doctor said her baby looked good.  He told her to be ready though, that they would deliver next week. Just five days later, at 35 weeks, she went in and told the doctor she was anxious and had insomnia because she was consumed with the thought of her baby dying.

Her doctor pulled out the Doppler and, sadly, found no heartbeat.  They then went into the ultrasound room.  Amy reclined in the chair and says she had “the most horrible feeling.” The next thing Amy heard was, “I’m so sorry, your baby is dead.”

Amy was sent to the hospital where her BP spiraled out of control, her head pounded and the pain on her right side had returned again. She was given three different BP meds and put on a mag drip, but her BP was still 197/107.  Amy was fading in and out, but remembers hearing her husband tell the doctor, “I can’t lose my wife too!”

She was taken in for a c-section and Amy recalls, “My headache went away on the table, and I looked over and there was our sweet still baby and my teary eyed husband.”

The next few months would be a blur of a funeral, confusion, slow speech, headaches, swelling and fear of leaving the house. After just over a year, Amy’s health problems are mostly gone, but the grief and fear, she says, “they creep in like ships in the night.”

Amy, her husband and their three other boys will be at the San Jose Promise Walk for Preeclampsia to share their story and remember their sweet son and brother, Seeley Andrew Hiett who came into this world still at 3 ½ pounds and 15 ½ inches long.

You can join them by registering now at www.promisewalk.org/sanjose.

Healing Her Heart Through Writing and Walking

Ty Allen is a poet and the mommy to a little girl named Tanasia… who lived for just 24 days.  This year, she has also become a walk coordinator bringing the Promise Walk for Preeclampsia to Washington, DC.

In 2008, Ty was pregnant with her first and only baby, when at 25 weeks pregnant, she began to notice some swelling in her feet.  Friends suggested it was normal pregnancy swelling, but Ty knew she just didn’t feel right and made an appointment with her doctor.

At Ty’s appointment, she discovered her blood pressure was very high and she was spilling proteins into her urine.  She had preeclampsia, just as she feared: two days later she had an emergency c-section.  Her baby girl weighed just one pound and 14 ounces and eventually succumbed to an infection in her intestines.

As a poet, Ty believes that writing helps her to heal even if it can never erase the pain and memory of loss and has been a strong advocate for the Preeclampsia Foundation Community Forum section Writing Heals.  She will also incorporate those talents into her walk with a poetry reading and art table, along with a raffle, health screenings and kids’ activities.

The Washington, DC Promise Walk for Preeclampsia will be held on May 18^th at the Wheaton Region Park.  Participants will also have the chance to win a Bob Revolution SE from our National Sponsor Britax.  Register now at www.promisewalk.org/washingtondc.

Looking to HELLP Others in Richland Center

First time walk coordinator Kally Clary looks forward to a beautiful spring day when Richland Center, WI welcomes their first Promise Walk for Preeclampsia on May 11^th.

Kally has learned a great deal about preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome since her own diagnosis in January 2012.  She was 38 weeks pregnant and was being induced for persistent labor pains.  When her physician pulled blood work they found she had HELLP syndrome and she was immediately sent to a larger hospital where they performed an emergency c-section.

Kally’s son, Carson, is a healthy, happy baby boy, but due to her condition, she was under anesthesia for the birth and missed hearing his first cries and her husband missed cutting the cord.  She came home from the hospital and scoured the blogs and websites.  She found so many similar voices echoing her own frustration at the lack of answers about why she had been so sick and the inability to determine what would happen in any future pregnancies.

It’s that dissatisfaction with current information that led her to commit to coordinating this year’s Promise Walk in Richland Center.  She hopes to raise awareness within her community and meet their fundraising goal of $5300.  She also hopes that this will assist the Preeclampsia Foundation with their mission to work toward finding a cause and a cure for preeclampsia.

The Richland Center walk will include speakers, food, children’s activities, and of course, the walk.  Participants may enter the stroller decorating contest and you might even be lucky enough to score sippy cup or bottle from local sponsor, Nuk.

To register for the walk on May 11^th at Krouskop Park, go to www.promisewalk.org/richlandcenter.

Heart Failure Leads to Promise Walk Success

Amy, her daughter and husband.

Amy Suggs hopes with all her heart that she is able to raise awareness of preeclampsia in her hometown of Asheville, North Carolina when she kicks off the first annual Promise Walk for Preeclampsia there on Saturday, May 4^th.

Amy attended last year’s walk in Charlotte and had such a positive experience she decided to bring a Promise Walk to Asheville.  She hopes to educate those in her community on the signs and symptoms of preeclampsia and just how serious it can be.  Amy knows this all too well.

She was 38 weeks pregnant when she developed preeclampsia.  Her diagnosis came at a routine doctor appointment.  She was sent to immediately deliver her baby girl, Sutton, and all went well with delivery.  Amy, however, continued to be a very sick young woman eventually being diagnosed with congestive heart failure.

After being told she would need to be on medication for the rest of her life, Amy is now healthy and happily off all medication, surprising even her doctors.  When she’s not busy raising her now two-year old daughter, Amy is hard at work on her Promise Walk.

The Asheville walk hopes to attract 100 walkers from the area and raise at least $5000.  You can register for the Asheville Promise Walk held at the UNC, Asheville Track and Field at www.promisewalk.org/asheville.

Oklahoma City Mission Family Honors the Memory of Emilly and Connor

John, Rachel & Deanna Woods, the OKC Mission Family.

Deana Woods lost her daughter, Emilly, and her grandson, Connor, to preeclampsia.  Emilly had only recently finished college and had moved in with her boyfriend to save money and live closer to work.  After living together for just a few months, Emilly discovered she was pregnant.  Emilly and her boyfriend, Zach were a bit overwhelmed by this news, but Deana found it such a blessing and soon everyone was looking forward to a new baby.

At the beginning of the 8^th month of Emilly’s pregnancy, she began to feel a little more tired.  She also started to experience swelling.   Deana recalls how they joked about a photo Emilly sent her through her phone.  It was Emilly’s ankles with the text, “Look how big they are.”  Deana suggested she just take it easy, put her feet up and watch her salt intake.  About a week later, Emilly had a headache for a couple of days, but she rested and it went away.  Everything just seemed like normal pregnancy discomforts.

Emilly followed up at her next scheduled doctor’s appointment and all looked well.  There was no indication that there was anything to be concerned with.  Emilly spent the next few days like so many expectant mothers in their third trimester.  She put the baby’s room together, she talked with her sister and mother and was excited about scheduled showers for her and baby Connor.

It was a Tuesday when Emilly called Deana to tell her she was experiencing some pain.  Deana told her to call her doctor to see what she thought.  After waiting on hold for her doctor, Emilly hung up and called her mother back, the pain was getting worse.  Deana feared it was early labor and tried to work through breathing with Emilly on the phone while she waited for her boyfriend to come home and take her to the hospital.  Deana told her everything was going to be fine… people have babies every day.

By the time Deana had reached the hospital, things had gone from bad to worse.  Emilly was in a great deal of pain and nurses were having trouble getting an IV in.  Then came the first horrific news.  A doctor took Zach and Deana into the hallway and told them that Emilly had lost Connor, that he had passed away.

Emilly’s blood pressure refused to come down, so doctors rushed her into surgery to deliver Connor.  Deana remembers the moment clearly…”I remember seeing Emilly laying there, just like it was yesterday looking at me right in the eyes and looking directly at her sister and saying, ‘I love you, sister!’”  It’s a moment Deana will always hold special.

After delivery, Deana and Zach were able to see baby Connor.  He was a perfect little boy, gone too soon.

Doctors then came to tell the family that they needed to transfer Emilly to another hospital.  They were specifically concerned about her kidneys.  They followed the ambulance, lights and sirens blazing.  Upon arrival at the new hospital, doctors assessed Emilly and told the family she was, indeed, a very sick young woman.  The family waited and hoped for improvement, but that never came.  Instead, doctors explained to them what preeclampsia was and informed Deana that her daughter was probably not going to survive.  Emilly later passed away due to preeclampsia.  Deana had lost both her daughter and her grandson.  In her words, “to say life would never be the same is an understatement.”

Deana has been mobilized by this tragedy and seeks now to help make sure other families do not meet with the same heartache that hers has felt.  You can meet Deana’s family as well as Zach at the Oklahoma City Promise Walk on May 11^th.  Register now at www.promisewalk.org/oklahomacity.

Taking the Raleigh Reins

Richie, Molly and their miracle Payton with friends at the 2011 Raleigh Promise Walk.

For the past few years, Leanne Parke has led the charge for the Raleigh Promise Walk for Preeclampsia.  When Leanne’s family relocated to Hershey, Pennsylvania this past year, Molly Herring took over and kept the Promise Walk going.

Molly attended the last two years supporting the walk after her own struggle with preeclampsia.  At 29 weeks in her first pregnancy, she was diagnosed with severe preeclampsia and later with HELLP syndrome.  A day that began with plans to have her hair done and take her niece to the local fair turned into a frightened call to her husband telling him he needed to pack her bags and that she was being admitted to the hospital.

Doctors initially hoped to manage Molly’s preeclampsia, but once she developed HELLP, all bets were off and she was induced into labor.  Her daughter was born at 2 lbs, 12 oz and was so tiny her husband could put his wedding ring around her wrist.  Thankfully, today both Molly and her now two year old little girl have recovered and are healthy and happy.

Having enjoyed the sense of community and new friends that walks have given her in past years, Molly looks to share that with newcomers and return walkers in Raleigh.  Participants can expect to hear speakers, enjoy music and the silent auction.  Kids can jump in the bounce house or have their faces painted.

You can join the Raleigh Promise Walk by registering now at www.promisewalk.org/raleigh.  The walk takes place on Saturday, May 11^th at Apex Community Park.