On May 19th, 2017, at almost 34 weeks gestation, I went to Labor and Delivery at my local hospital after I had called my doctor concerned that I had not felt our baby, Holly, move all evening. That night, I was given the news that Holly had no heartbeat. I delivered her early the next morning. Hearing the news that she had died, and that I would need to give birth to our daughter but not bring her home is devastating, surreal, and just incredibly sad.

As anyone who has gone through a stillbirth will tell you, it is a club that no one wants to be a member of. However, the other members of this club, and the organizations that support us, have been incredible resources as my family processes Holly’s death. Being a researcher by training, I wanted as much information as I could about stillbirths, how this might have happened to Holly, and what can be done differently in the future. I also desperately needed to hear other people’s stories and how they have been able to process their grief and go forward.

The Villalongs will be participating in this year’s Let's Not Be Still - New York 5K to raise money for the Star Legacy Foundation. This year, we hope friends can join us, on May 18th, and run/walk for Holly and all of the babies that were gone too soon. This year’s race falls one day before I went into the hospital for Holly. May 18th was the last day, I confidently knew that Holly was alive, which makes this year’s 5K an extra special one to honor her.

You can register here for the 5K (and/or become a member of our team "Hollyday Francis Villalong"

Or

You can simply read  here for more about what Star Legacy says on stillbirth, pregnancy loss, and neonatal death

Love,

The Villalong Family