Team G&K is comprised of Gianna De Fries and Kristal Stiverne. Gianna and Kristal met through their husbands who were college friends and roomates. After a few years of building a friendship, Gianna and Kristal have recently bonded over their shared pregnancy journies and their (respective) HELLP and postpartum eclampsia diagnoses during their first pregnancies. They're united in a team to help raise awareness for this important cause. 

We are walking to raise awareness and make strides towards better education for women regarding hypertensive disorders during pregnancy and postpartum. 

A common theme among pre-eclampsia, eclampsia and HELLP syndrome survivors is feeling unheard by care providers after raising alarms when things didn't feel right. We know our bodies better than anyone and being disregarded by providers when expressing concerns over disturbing symptoms must stop.

Our goal is to eduate more expectant mothers on how to spot the signs of a hypertensive disorder early and to equip them with the tools they need to advocate for their health when they need it most. 

Preeclampsia and related hypertensive disorders of pregnancy impact 5-8% of all births in the US. This can be made worse by delays in diagnosis or management, seriously impacting both women and their babies before, during or after birth.