PRE-ECLAMPSIA
Know the signs and symptoms of pre-eclampsia. Click here

Dear Family and Friends,
On Saturday, May 10, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. I will be walking in the Cincinnati Area Pre-eclampsia Foundation Friends and Family Walk to show my support for the more than 76,000 women and 585,000 children who die each year due to pre-eclampsia (toxemia) complications. On a more personal level, I am also walking in memory of our baby boy, Chiqui Isaza, who died at birth on May 7, 2006 due to pre-eclampsia complications.

I'd like to ask for your support as I walk to raise funds and awareness for this disorder. The Friends and Family Walk is an opportunity for anyone and everyone to walk - or support a walker - and raise funds for the Pre-Eclampsia Foundation.

Some facts about pre-eclampsia:

• Arising during pregnancy and affecting at least 1 in 12 of all pregnancies, it is a rapidly progressive condition characterized by high blood pressure and the presence of protein in the urine. Additionally, while blood pressure elevation is the most visible sign, it involves generalized damage to the kidneys and liver.

• Pre-eclampsia is as common in the U.S. as breast cancer, and it is the most dangerous of the leading common complications of pregnancy.

• In the U.S., 18% of pregnancy-related deaths are due to the disease - approximately 3 women a week. Even women who do not die may experience trauma, lose babies and suffer life-long disabilities including paralysis, blindness, permanent neurological impairment, hypertension, and other physiological or psychological problems.

I am asking you to walk with me - either by joining my team or by sponsoring me - to benefit the Pre-Eclampsia Foundation. Money raised goes to national education, research and advocacy efforts. Your contribution will help strengthen our ability to fund research, raise lifesaving awareness, and get the knowledge and technology we already have into the hands of those who need it.

How far we walk is not as important as why we are walking, and how much we'll make a difference in the lives of all individuals who have been adversely touched by pre-eclampsia or may become its next statistic.

If you would like to join us as we walk, we will meet at Beech Acres Park, 6910 Salem Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio. Registration is $15.00, although any donated amount is welcome. For more information about time and exact location, please contact Maia Sponseller at msponseller@preeclampsia.org.

To make a donation, click here - in the area that reads, "This is a tribute gift," - In memory of Chiqui Isaza.

Thank you very much for supporting the 2008 Cincinnati Pre-Eclampsia Foundation Friends and Family Walk!