Stopping Preeclampsia and HELLP

Thank you so much for helping me fundraise in support of the Preeclampsia Foundation. The Foundation is the country's only organization dedicated to the hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and is heavily reliant on its annual Promise Walks, which generate approximately 40% of its annual (tiny) budget. That funding is likely to fall significantly short this year, even as maternal morbidity and mortality are likely to rise everywhere. The Foundation provides: grants to fund innovative research; evidence-based information directly to women, families, and caregivers; and training for healthcare professionals so they can better care for their patients.

If you're here, you know that preeclampsia - and HELLP- have been a scary part of both of my pregnancies. My son's birth four years ago ended in severe HELLP, which sent me to the ICU for almost a week post-birth. Despite all of the precautions and planning my (amazing) OB helped me manage while I was pregnant with my daughter, her birth still resulted in post-partum preeclampsia, resulting in another four day hospital stay. In my immediate circle, at least four of my friends who have given birth in the last year have also experienced preeclampsia.

These are diseases that disproportionately affect and kill women of color. The effects stay with you long after the initial seizure risks have passed and you've weaned off of blood pressure medications and weekly doctor visits, contributing to significantly increased risk for heart disease, strokes, and dementia.

My family was incredibly lucky: not only did Emme, Theodore, and I all survive, today we are healthy, even amidst a global pandemic. Lots of women - lots of babies, and their families - will not be so lucky.