When I found out I was pregnant after IVF, I never imagined that preeclampsia would become such a significant part of our story.

At 28 weeks, I was hospitalized after being diagnosed with preeclampsia and oligohydramnios. Four weeks later, my son Liam was born by C-section at 32 weeks, weighing just 3 pounds, 12 ounces. He spent the next 30 days in the NICU.

Today, Liam is a happy, very opinionated toddler, and our life looks very different from our time in the hospital. But I haven’t forgotten what it felt like to suddenly have a pregnancy become a terrifying experience, to wonder how long I could safely stay pregnant, and then to leave the hospital without our baby.

I’m walking because preeclampsia changed our story, and because I know we’re far from the only family whose story has been changed by it.

I want to help raise awareness, support research, and connect with other women and families who have been through something similar. Most of all, I want other moms facing preeclampsia to know that there is a life on the other side of those incredibly difficult days.

I’m walking for Liam, for our family, and for every family whose plans for pregnancy and birth changed because of preeclampsia.