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
.

Veteran Walk Gets It… in Ink!

Survivors at the 2011 Lehigh Valley Promise Walk

The Lehigh Valley Promise Walk for Preeclampsia is one of our veteran walks having been around since 2005.   Over the years, they’ve grown from a smaller “friends and family” walk into the full-fledged public Promise Walk they are today.

Coordinator Dawn Detweiler has much to be excited about for this 2012 Promise Walk, including two walkers who plan to permanently tattoo the Promise Walk awareness ribbon on their bodies!  The tattoo artist is the husband of one of the participants, and will be offering the ribbon tattoo to the public with proceeds going to the Preeclampsia Foundation.  What a lasting way to show your dedication to eradicating preeclampsia—inking it!

If you’d like to make a less permanent, yet just as meaningful display of support, perhaps joining the Lehigh Valley Promise Walk is just the key.  You’ll be able to enjoy a playground party complete with clown and animal balloons, a raffle, silent auction and goody bags.  Goody bags are limited so be sure to register early!

This year’s walk will be held at Forks Township Community Center on Saturday, May 5^th.  In addition to the fun activities, those present will hear expert and survivor speeches, receive valuable information and gain support from the community of preeclampsia survivors gathered that day.

Go now to www.promisewalk.org/lehighvalley to register.  Registration is $20 for adults and $10 for children.  Walk-up registration on the day of the event is $25.  For more information, contact dawn.detweiler@preeclampsia.org.

Remember – May 5^th.  Make sure you get it on your calendar… in ink!

Inspired to Strength in Boston

Photo of the Field of Cradles/"I Gave You Words" display at the first annual Boston Promise Walk for Preeclampsia in July 2011.

Strength.

Courage.

Self empowerment.

This is the message that first time coordinator Stacy Vallely hopes participants will come away with from the second annual Boston Promise Walk for Preeclampsia.

Stacy was a participant in last year’s Promise Walk for Preeclampsia after her son spent 86 days in the NICU when Stacy developed preeclampsia at 28 weeks.  He was just 2 lbs and 2 oz at birth.  Stacy was moved by the other survivors she heard from that day, the knowledge she gained from an expert at the event and touched by the beauty of the butterfly release.

This year, as coordinator, she hopes the activities and tone of the day are uplifting and inspire others to take on the fight against preeclampsia.  Events at the May 6th Boston Promise Walk include speakers, a moment to remember those lost and survivors, children’s games led by the Life is Good Playmakers, a raffle, face painting and more!

To register for the walk, which is at Castle Island Park, go to www.promisewalk.org/boston.  Registration is $20 for adults and $10 for children.  Registration the day of the walk increases to $25 for adults.  For more information, contact Stacy Vallely at stacy.vallely@gmail.com.

Twas the Night Before the Promise Walks – A Repost

The last present may have been unwrapped, but we wanted to take this opportunity to repost one of our favorite posts from the past year.  Enjoy and happy holidays to you and your family.  We wish you good health in 2012.

 

With the season in mind, please enjoy our twist on this holiday favorite.

Twas the night before the Promise Walks and all through the country

Not a coordinator was stirring not even in North Conway.

The t-shirts were folded in boxes with care,

In hope that many walkers soon would be there.

The volunteers were nestled all snug in their beds

While visions of donations danced in their heads.

And Becky in her green shirt and I with my “survivor” button

Were all looking forward to our new Promise Walk fashion.

When all of a sudden my email went bonkers.

I sprang from my chair and screamed “Holy Yonkers!”

Away to my desk I flew like a flash,

Opened up Outlook and almost did gasp!

The lamp on the desk in my bedroom so late

Shone dimly at midnight just what was so great.

When what to my wondering eyes should appear

But a huge new donation and much walker participation.

With a click of my mouse, so happy and quick.

I knew in a moment we’d help mommies not get sick.

More attendance than imagined our walkers they came

We listened and shouted and resolute we became.

Now awareness!

Now research!

Now support and a cure!

Healthy babies! Healthy mommies!

For our sweet boys and girls.

From the tops of our lungs, to everyone everywhere

We thank you! Thank you! Thank you all!

We’ve sprung to our feet, given voice to our cause

But onward we march and during this season we pause.

Our hope is to exclaim standing healthy and tall

Preeclampsia is cured for one and for all!

From the Promise Walk family to yours, a happy and healthy holiday season!

Top 3 Reasons NOT to Host A Promise Walk

How many times have you told yourself: “I just don’t have the time/energy/insert-the-blank to volunteer for the Preeclampsia Foundation… even though I’d probably really enjoy the feeling of helping women just like me.”

Well today, we present the top 3 reasons NOT to host a Promise Walk for Preeclampsia, so you can start having these really great excuses, rather than all that nonsense about how many hours there are in a single day.

1. You do not own a computer or a telephone. Staying in touch is a necessary part of being a coordinator, so if you’ve taken a vow of silence, or chosen a non-technology way of life, this volunteer path may not be for you.
2. You live in an industrial zone without a single decent place to walk. If your town has a carbon footprint the size of a T-Rex, the smog and acid rain might be a bit of a turn off to participants. Instead of hosting a Promise Walk, we’d recommend you work on a family relocation plan.
3. You have no interest in funding life-saving research. After all, 92% of the money raised by the Promise Walk goes straight back into education and research that will help future generations. Science isn’t for everybody, right?

Wait a second… do none of these describe you? Then you have what it takes! Read “Becoming A Promise Walk Volunteer” by Autumn Spear for more information on how to get involved, and join us for a free teleconference call on September 13 to find out what it takes to have a successful Promise Walk for Preeclampsia to your hometown, and help us “Make Strides and Deliver Hope!”

The After Glow

The last walker has crossed the finish line, the banners have all been taken down, the brochures packed up and most of us coordinators have packed up our supplies until next year.  Me?  I still have a few boxes in my living room that need to be sorted before the 2011 Promise Walk  is completely in my rear view mirror.

Did you walk, volunteer or coordinate a walk this year?  Do you realize what an amazing impact you have made?  There were men and women, mommies and daddies that came to our walks that had recently lost a baby.  You made them feel they weren’t alone and gave them hope.  Families came that lost a daughter, sister or mother to this disease.  You honored their memory.  Countless women came to the walks that had their lives altered by preeclampsia; you educated them on their now higher risk for heart disease.  You made such a difference.

Did you start a team or recruit family and friends to support you?  Those people now know more about preeclampsia, its symptoms, its effect on our lives.  They may have never heard of it before, but now it’s more than “on their radar”, they’ve become our supporters.

The donations you received, the registration fees you paid all go to the more than $271,000 we raised nationally…a new record for our Promise Walks!  The Foundation can now reach out to more women with educational materials, support more families touched by preeclampsia and fund more research initiatives.   It may have been just one morning this past April, May or June, but that one morning walking has a ripple effect and it
will just grow bigger next year.

So…pat yourself on the back, give yourself a round of applause!  We couldn’t do it without you!  For me, being a walk coordinator is one of the most rewarding things I’ve done in my life and with each new success each year, I look to raise the bar higher for the following year.  I can’t wait to start watching my little fuchsia feet starting climbing to my goal for 2012.  For now, I’ll give myself at least another week to just bask in the post walk after glow.