It's March... which in Florida means spring training for Major League Baseball. In fact, I can practically hear the crack of the bat just ten minutes from our headquarters! But the real home runs are happening for the Preeclampsia Foundation all across the country. We're halfway to Preeclampsia Awareness Month, and our Promise Walk teams all across the United States are knocking it out of the ballpark! 

Fundraising teams have used our new tools and are doing a superb job, putting our Promise Walk $7,000 ahead of where we were last year. And not only will we be celebrating our first-ever national designation, but 16 states and cities have declared May Preeclampsia Awareness Month in their jurisdictions. Read on for an interesting article that describes why that is so important to our advocacy ...

What was your experience with preeclampsia?

On February 17th, 2005 I was so blessed to become a mom to a beautiful, blue-eyed, baby boy. Roddick was born 2 weeks early, by emergency c-section, due to my blood pressure staying elevated, even with bed rest. My husband was out of town for work, so he missed the birth of his 1st child. It was crazy, nurses and doctors running around trying to get me into surgery and deliver my son. Much of the delivery was a blur. They had me on and off mag sulfate to control my bp. I felt so awful, I kept thinking that this surely couldn't be what it felt like to be a new mom. I felt so bad that I didn't even have the warmth and compassion I ...

I was thrilled to be able to announce to resounding applause, "It's official! The US Department of Health and Human Services has declared May National Preeclampsia Awareness Month!" at our annual benefit dinner, Saving Grace - A Night of Hope, on Friday, Oct. 26, in Point Clear, Alabama. The intimate evening was hosted by Leslie Weeks, former board member of the Preeclampsia Foundation and Owen Bailey, hospital administrator for University of South Alabama's Children's & Women's Hospital.

Board members and long-time volunteers of the Preeclampsia Foundation flew in from around the country to take part in this annual benefit dinner, this year held in a beautiful and tranquil setting, the Sonny Hill Polo Complex. A buffet style dinner was held in the beautifully appointed pavilion, followed by a program under a delicately lit tent that overlooked the water. Dr. Gabriella ...

1. What was your experience with preeclampsia?

I developed HELLP Syndrome in 2009. Not knowing the symptoms of HELLP delayed my response to getting help faster. I went to the ER after three days of right upper quadrant pain (which I was told by the doctor on call that it was probably my gall bladder even though I was on bed rest for high blood pressure), difficulty breathing, and a sense of just not feeling well. I was told by the Labor and Delivery nurse I had made it just in time. When I arrived my platelets were dangerously low, my liver was enlarged and my blood pressure was high. They feared I was going to bleed out during delivery and prepped me for a transfusion. There is no scarier feeling than feeling like you might die during what is supposed to be the happiest time in your life. I delivered my son, Cooper, at 36 weeks. He was only 4lbs 13 oz. Although he was tiny and his platelets were low, he miraculously did not have to go into the NICU. We ...

What was your experience with preeclampsia?

I had severe preeclampsia (PE) and borderline HELLP syndrome with my first pregnancy at 35 weeks. I had warning signs as early as 30 weeks that I reported to my doctor, but he blew me off as a first time mom who didn't know what pregnancy was like. By the time I was diagnosed, I was in heart failure, cerebral edema, and had platelets low enough to qualify for class II HELLP.  I was in really bad shape. I was transferred to another hospital, and the doctor there said we should pray the induction worked because a c-section would kill me. My first daughter was born mildly IUGR. She's almost 9 and doing well today.

I found a new doctor who monitored me closely for my second birth. I started showing the same early warning signs at 32 weeks, and was induced at 37 weeks with mild PE. My second daughter was also mildly IUGR and ...

What was your experience with preeclampsia?

I had preeclampsia with both of my pregnancies. With my first child, I was not made aware of the symptoms of this condition, so when I started having side pains, I just thought I had a cramp, nothing serious. I had gained a significant amount of weight, but had no basis of comparison, so I believed it to be just the nature of being pregnant. I went from 115 lbs to 180 lbs and assumed that was normal. I was swollen, short of breath, and generally unhappy. By the time the high blood pressure became a threat, it became significantly high. Because my proteins showed up during a routine visit and at about 28 weeks, I was put on bed rest, and was administered Labetalol to manage my blood pressure. After I gave birth at 35 weeks with my eldest daughter, I was told I had been preeclamptic but that it was "not a big deal." I was reassured it does not necessarily happen with every pregnancy, so I was told, for my next ...

This month, we highlight the volunteer efforts of Stacy Vallely, whose fundraising team "Ty's Team" raised an astonishing $10,300 for the Boston Promise Walk! Stacy raised $5850 herself, making her the highest individual fundraiser of all the Promise Walk participants. We asked Stacy a couple questions about her involvement with the foundation.

1. What was your experience with preeclampsia?

I started to swell pretty early on. I remember thinking that I couldn't believe that I had to take my rings off before the 3rd trimester. Then when I started to feel funny. I called my midwife and expressed concerns about preeclampsia because of the swelling. She asked if I had any headaches? No. Any vision changes? No. She told me that they don't usually worry about preeclampsia until 36 weeks and I was just 26 weeks. My blood pressure at our last appointment was fine, so I should "put my feet up and I will see her in a little ...

Thirty-five volunteer-driven walks took place across the country, twelve of those in new cities, and the national fundraising goal of $400,000 was surpassed before the last walk took place.

"There were so many highlights and accomplishments this year that it's hard to know where to start!" said 2012 National Promise Walk Coordinator Becky Sloan. "We increased national awareness, especially through new media spots, proclamations and local elected officials who gave their time to acknowledge Preeclampsia Awareness Month at many walks. We also saw an overwhelming dedication of new and continuing volunteers that came out in droves to help our coordinators."   

Many walks exceeded their fundraising goals, including Boston, who set a goal of $16,775 and raised an astounding $29,316; and Oklahoma City, who set a goal of $8,400 and raised an amazing $15,680. Other cities that far exceeded their goals included Leigh Valley/Easton who exceeded their goal by $3,000; ...

As the temperatures continue to rise this summer, we look south of the border to a grandmother making a difference all the way from the beaches of the Caribbean.  For years Sandy Coder has collected sea glass from the beaches near her house in Mexico. After lots of practice drilling tiny holes in the glass, she created the first "Eva's Angel" in memory of her granddaughter that was lost prematurely at 22 weeks due to preeclampsia and HELLP in 2007 (

By Jill Siegel ~ As Father's Day approaches, I feel honored to be able to give a very personal shout-out in this newsletter to my husband and our daughter's father, Jeff Siegel.  There are so many Preeclampsia Foundation fathers, husbands, and partners who are often 'silent partners' in our volunteer efforts. Any one of them - pick a name: Dan Sloan, Tim Purnell, Todd Beadle, Demetri Tsigas, Jason Drews, Kurt Detweiler, Jay Weeks, Tim Aiken... and the list could go on and on - could be profiled here. For one, I have to laugh when I recall Tim Aiken's help at the 2011 Chicago Promise Walk and 5K Run. Due to a misunderstanding with one of our vendors, he and I found ourselves driving in a car along a bike- and pedestrian-only path in order to mark our course! 

I am sure all the many 'silent partners,' like Jeff, have schlepped more than a few tables to a Walk, occupied a child or overlooked household chores so their partner could take another volunteer ...

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 ...

In the words of 17th century English poet John Donne, "No man is an island"... and in the world of fundraising, this is doubly true. The incredible success of the Promise Walks each year is due in no small part to the ability of local walk coordinators and participants to gather their friends and families together and spread the infectious hope for the future that is at the fundamental core of the Promise Walk.

But how does a walk move from helping the Foundation fund a single local education campaign (around $2,000) all the way to funding an entire Vision Research Grant ($25,000)? The answer is the passion and drive of team work! So if you haven't already, start a team and read the following tips on making a big difference:

1) Have a Plan. Set a reasonable goal and make a list of people who would potentially support your efforts. For instance,