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 ...

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 (

That was my goal with the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I was given to present one of three President's Program lectures at the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists' Annual Clinical Meeting.  

"Patient Perspectives on Preeclampsia" - or as I joked, "lessons from this side of the stirrups" - was well-received by the standing-room-only crowd in the main auditorium of the San Diego Convention Center.  More importantly, the many comments I received after the lecture satisfied me that I achieved my objective - to reach their hearts with compelling, real-life stories illustrating the impact preeclampsia has on mothers, fathers, and babies; and to reach their minds by inspiring clinical practice behaviors that include educating each and every expectant mother with non-alarmist, but sound information about the ...

May and Mother's Day are so intertwined that it's hard to think about one without the other, especially here at the Preeclampsia Foundation, where we've built a nationwide campaign at www.promisewalk.org/campaign to get the word out about preeclampsia - the "thing" that for many survivors turned our entrance into motherhood into a nightmare.

I believe celebrating mothers is a commemoration of extremes. Not just because preeclampsia is an extreme condition, but because the mothers I am ...

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 ...

For Dallas-area volunteer Nicole Purnell, fundraising for the Preeclampsia Foundation is nothing new: she is currently in her fourth year as the Dallas-Ft. Worth Promise Walk Coordinator. So when she and her family decided to do another fundraiser for the Foundation, they decided to try something entirely different, and catered to their home state of Texas: a clay-shooting tournament to be held March 10.  

"Of course, I realize that shooting clays is not an activity for everyone's taste, but this IS Texas after all!" explained Purnell. In organizing the event, she and her stepfather, who is co-hosting the tournament, realized that this would be a unique opportunity to pull in a different crowd than that of the Promise Walks for fundraising and awareness. 

"My stepdad is a retired Navy SEAL and has many friends who enjoy clay shooting," Purnell said. "I had been wanting to do a clay shoot event for some time, and then, one day I got my daily Groupon ...

Many of our newsletter readers will participate in or support a Promise Walk for Preeclampsia this May and June. The Promise Walks are one of the biggest fundraisers that the Preeclampsia Foundation hosts: they not only generate funds for the Foundation, but raise awareness about the disease in local communities. For many people, a walk is their first experience with the Foundation - their first time connecting with our community and becoming aware of preeclampsia's devastating impact. This connection is an excellent opportunity to motivate Promise Walk attendees to become year-round Foundation supporters within their local community.

There are many ways you can help get your neighbors, friends and families involved after the Walk is over:

• Encourage walkers to sign up for the Expectations newsletter to stay connected and motivated about our work; to see the impact their contributions are making.
• Host an event to raise awareness or money ...

Raising awareness in 2011 is no easy task.
 
A recent internet search of awareness efforts in May turned up 22 different causes, from asthma and allergy to stuttering awareness. As yet, the National Health Observances Calendar doesn't include Preeclampsia Awareness Month, although efforts are underway (with Congressional support) to add it.
 
So what can the Preeclampsia Foundation, an organization that recently celebrated its 10th birthday, learn from more established organizations and their campaigns?
 
Pink ribbons, red dresses, and yellow rubber bracelets immediately come to mind. Certain trends are prevalent in these successful awareness campaigns: a concerted public relations campaign, a celebrity spokesperson, partnerships with like-minded organizations, but most importantly, a clear message of the impact that a condition has on the American population.
 
Can an awareness "month" matter as we seek to raise the profile of our ...

Spring is near, and many areas of the country are ready to shake off the snow and welcome the warmer weather. Outdoor gatherings such as garden tours, Easter parades, arts festivals and baby item sales seem to appear everywhere you go.  Could these be opportunities in your community for distributing preeclampsia materials at an information stand?  Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , Director of Patient Education to learn more about distributing brochures and other patient education materials at your local events.

There are also a variety of fresh ways you can use the season to benefit the Foundation through fundraising: check out the brand new "Top Ten Spring ...

Volunteer Profile- January 2011

Nicole Purnell, Southwest Regional Coordinator

What was your experience with preeclampsia?
My pregnancy seemed rather normal and uneventful to me until I reached 33 weeks.  My blood pressure had been creeping upward, but I wasn't concerned about it.  I had a terrible cold and was taking meds that raised my blood pressure even further and that was when I was put on bedrest.  At 34+5 weeks, I woke up in the middle of the night not feeling right.  My husband took me to L&D just to be safe.  Or so we thought.  Once we got there and were checked in, the nurses started hooking me up to all the monitors.  The monitors were silent and they were not able to find a heartbeat.  When the epidural was place, I crashed.  I remember my OB slapping me on the ...

Volunteer Profile - December 2010

Becky Sloan, National Promise Walk for Preeclampsia Director

What was your experience with preeclampsia?
I began experiencing face and body swelling and headaches at 22 weeks.  These symptoms, along with extreme weight gain, bouts of high blood pressure, and lower fetal movement, continued until 31 weeks.   My doctor was never concerned with my symptoms and told me that ‘if I didn’t stop gaining weight, I would gain 70 lbs. before the pregnancy was over.’   I didn’t make it out of the office before I burst into tears.  I felt awful, like no one cared, and I still had no idea what preeclampsia was because the signs and symptoms were never mentioned to me.  I was never diagnosed with anything more than ‘being a first time worried mom,’ and at 31 weeks, 6 days I went into code blue eclamptic seizures.   I actually had a doctor’s appointment earlier in the ...

The end of the year always brings with it the joys and blessings (and sometimes challenges) of the holiday season, the nostalgia of closing out another year, and the enthusiasm of looking forward to a new year of anticipated goals.  For the Preeclampsia Foundation, as we close out 2010, we close the door on our first decade as THE patient advocacy organization fighting to end the devastating impact of preeclampsia. It has been a very full ten years, beginning with the tumultuous first steps of any start-up organization and moving into the more recent years of growth and success. Last month, we published “Preeclampsia: A Decade of Perspective | Building a Global Call to Action”.  This 40-page publication captured our milestones as we celebrated our 10th anniversary, reported on the state of preeclampsia, and suggested a call-to-action for ...

At the recent Saving Grace – A Night of Hope event in Seattle, Washington, many individuals graciously purchased auction items or made personal donations.  Many guests also provided us with their employer’s Matching Donor Forms. It is impressive that some of our donors had already researched their employers’ policies and had discovered this golden opportunity – the Employer Matching Gift Program.

An Employer Matching Gift Program is one where an employer matches an employee’s charitable donation, usually dollar for dollar.  Some companies call this a Cash Grants Program or a Matching Grants Program.  These Gift Programs can quickly multiply the impact of one employee’s donation, often quite substantially.  In some cases an employer may even match up to 2 or 3 times that of the employee’s donation. But even a 1:1 match is incredibly impacting.  Along with matching monetary donations, some employers even have programs wherein the company will ...

When Jaime Nolan lost her premature baby, Grace Ann, she was determined not to let the meaning of her life end there.

Born at 27 weeks after Jaime’s sudden onset of severe preeclampsia, Grace only survived eight days while her mother fought for her life in the intensive care unit.  When Grace went into cardiac arrest, Joe Nolan watched the doctor standing over his daughter’s incubator, performing chest compressions with his thumb.
Jaime discovered the Preeclampsia Foundation online and found a network of support that helped her work through her grief.  Determined to take action and help prevent others from enduring such a painful loss, she found out the Foundation needed to develop an annual fundraiser.

Jaime gathered a local group of volunteers and chaired what she thought would be a one-time gala in Minneapolis.  At the same time ...

This time of year brings so many warm memories of Autumn's past, but one Fall season in particular brings bitter-sweet memories. 

This time three years ago, I was nearing the middle of my third trimester and settling into our new home.  I noticed some severe swelling and was experiencing daily headaches.  I brought it to the attention of my doctors however they dismissed it as regular pregnancy symptoms. 

The day after Halloween I went to my 35 week OB appointment.  Everything seemed to be a whirl-wind from the moment I stepped into his office until I was rushed to the OB Triage area of the hospital with complications due to preeclampsia.  I was surrounded by a team of eight doctors as they informed me that they needed to get my baby out or both our lives would be in jeopardy.   

Little did I know that this was just the beginning of the scariest time in my family's life. 

After 13 hours of hard labor our son Brennan was born five weeks ...

It is fitting that November is the month of thanks-giving. At the Preeclampsia Foundation, we have many people and much to be thankful for, starting with the launch of our new website. If you haven't yet, please visit our new home. Same address - www.preeclampsia.org - but with a complete renovation that allows us to include more content and address our ever-expanding mission into areas such as advocacy, international support, and research communications.

The team including Dan Verakis, Amit Jesani and a host of developers literally spanning the globe, are to be commended for leading us through this complex process. Please bare with us as we will inevitably hit some unforeseen snags in our database or in the website itself. Rest assured, security and your privacy have not nor will ever be compromised. Your trust in us is paramount.

Our trusted science writers, including Caryn Rogers, Heather Curtis and several members of our