My first bout of preeclampsia struck when I was 31 weeks pregnant with my son, Chase. I ended up in the hospital after I experienced a placental abruption. The doctors told us I needed an emergency c-section first thing in the morning. I spent the rest of the night violently ill from medications used to prevent seisures and delivery, all while by blood pressure was in the 220/150 range. The last thing my doctor said was, "we will do our best to save you and your baby." It wasn't until that very moment I realized how very serious this was. Chase didn't cry at first. After a long time, I heard a squeak. John and I got to see his little face for about 5 seconds, and then he was whisked away to the NICU. I was unable to see him until I could move myself from my hospital bed onto a gurney. After a few hours, I got up the strength to do just that, and got the chance to see our very own little 3 pound, 2 ounce miracle struggling to breathe. I will never forget the fear we experienced. My condition was still fragile, and we left a week later without our precious boy. After 5 long weeks, he came to us on Christmas eve, 1997, hooked up to big, scary monitors. We are very lucky that his condition improved, and now he is taller than his mama. They told us that he may have this condition and that condition as a result of his prematurity, but this guy continues to amaze us, and leads a completely healthy, amazing life. What a miracle he is!  

My second bout of preeclampsia developed in 2003 when I became pregnant with our daughter, Callie. Preeclampsia struck at 24 weeks this time. Unfortunately, my condition deteriorated much faster than before. My blood pressure was uncontrollable, and in addtion to preeclampsia, I developed HELLP syndrome, a clotting disorder where your platelet count drops, causing organ failure. Our sweet baby girl was a victim to this insidious disease. It robbed Chase of a little sister. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of her. She would be 17 now, probably a senior in high school, with her whole life ahead of her.

The last part of my story is about the side effects of these disorders. In 2006, I had episodes of shortness of breath. I chalked them up to allergies. Thanks to the quick action of the cardiologist who cared for me in the hospital, I was immediately brought in for testing. I woke up from an angiogram the proud owner of two cardiac stents. Two of my main arteries were 90% blocked. It was a miracle that I didn't have a heart attack. Preeclampsia increases your risk of stroke and heart disease signifcantly in the 10 YEARS after delivery, just as if you had been a smoker. I was very lucky, but some women are not.  

As you can see, this disease has changed our family's life forever. We will never be the same. I am grateful for the unwavering love and support from the most amazing husband, son, and the rest of my loving family.  Without it, I would not be here for sure. The only thing I can do from now on is increase awareness about it and raise funds to find a cure. On Saturday, I will run a virtual 5K in memory of Callie, in honor of my fighter, Chase, and to honor all the women, babies and families who are affected by preeclampsia including my dear sister, Missy and my dear friend, Katie. Please contribute if you can to help me make a difference for others. Thank you so very much.