Jogging for James: To End Preventable Stillbirths

In December 2022, we were excited to embark on our family’s journey as a family of five. We arrived at the hospital excited and hopeful, ready to meet our third child.  Shortly thereafter, we received devastating news.  We heard words no one should ever hear, “I’m sorry there’s no heartbeat.”  Our family had lost our son James at 39 weeks with no warning. No telltale signs.  Nothing could have prepared us for that moment.  

After losing James, I made a personal vow to my child that his life would matter. His legacy was going to live on.  He wouldn’t be forgotten.  I began searching for something that would give me hope.  That’s when I learned about an organization called “Healthy Birth Day,” which is one of the leading organizations in stillbirth prevention. I learned about their amazing efforts to fight for change and decrease the rates of stillbirth through both advocacy and prevention.  Talking with Healthy Birth Day and learning about their work gave me hope for the future! It gave me hope that our family’s story, doesn’t have to be the same story for another family.  

Heathy Birth Day educates expectant people about how to properly monitor fetal movements through the use of an app and tools called “Count the Kicks”.  To my shock and surprise, over 21,000 babies in the US are born still every year. Let that sink in.  Even more unsettling, at least 25% of those are thought to be preventable, through efforts, such as Count the Kicks.  Yet, many providers don’t talk with expectant parents about this simple tool.  I can’t change what happened to James. But I can’t help but wonder if Count the Kicks could have saved his life.

To honor James and to channel my grief, I began running…a lot. In 2023, I ran the Marine Corps Marathon and fundraised for Healthy Birth Day.  Again, in 2024, I ran the Chicago Marathon to both honor and fundraise again. As a next step, in 2025, I decided to plan a 5k to continue to raise awareness and funds for stillbirth prevention.

My hope is that this run is an opportunity to not only honor James and to raise awareness but to honor all babies gone too soon. Let’s take this opportunity to run and walk together to say these babies names and celebrate their lives. Thank you for taking this opportunity to promote change and help to bring more babies into this world safely.