I walk because preeclampsia nearly took my child and I's lives.

At 28 weeks pregnant, I started showing symptoms—symptoms that were dismissed. I had never been taught about preeclampsia because I was considered low-risk. But by 35 weeks, my daughter had to be delivered early to save us both. What should have been a joyful birth turned into a life-threatening battle, made even more terrifying by a postpartum hemorrhage. Everything was fine—until it wasn’t.

Preeclampsia changed my life in ways I never could have imagined. It ignited a passion in me to ensure that no woman faces this condition feeling unheard, uneducated, or unprepared. As a high-risk birth doula, I now serve families navigating complex pregnancies, 60% of whom are battling the same condition that nearly took me. I stand beside them, advocating, educating, and fighting for better maternal outcomes.

I walk for the mothers who didn’t make it home. I walk for the babies born too soon. I walk for the families who will never be the same. And I walk for the future—where awareness, research, and improved care can save lives.

As the Sponsorship & Recruitment Chair for the Twin Cities Promise Walk, I’m honored to be part of this movement. Preeclampsia was my greatest tragedy, but it has become my greatest purpose. I walk because I am a survivor. And because every mother deserves the chance to survive too.