In December of 2009, 2U split its collection plate with the Preeclampsia Foundation, contributing nearly $900 to the organization's mission to reduce maternal and infant adverse outcomes due to preeclampsia. Even in the United States, women still die in childbirth and preeclampsia is a cause of death for 76,000 women and 500,000 babies each year.

2U members Jeff and Jill Siegel became intimately familiar with

the condition upon the birth of their daughter, Brooklyn, in 2004. Brooklyn was delivered 10 weeks early weighing only 2 lbs, 9 oz.; but did very well despite her tiny size. Jill's condition only

worsened, though, putting her life at serious risk. It would take 98 days of hospitalization and months of rehab for her to regain her ability to walk, talk, feed herself. . . and to even be able to contemplate her new role as a mother. Since her recovery, she and Jeff have worked to raise money and awareness for the Preeclampsia Foundation.

The Siegels next effort to support the Preeclampsia Foundation will occur on Sunday, May 23 at 10:00am when they help host the inaugural Chicago Promise Walk for Preeclampsia. The event will be held along the Midway Plaisance at the historic Lying-in Hospital on the U of C campus in Hyde Park (59th St. between Cottage Grove and Ellis). The Chicago Walk is part of an annual event, which happens around the country to support innovative research and raise public awareness about the warning signs of preeclampsia. In addition to the 1.5 mile child-friendly walk, the Chicago walk will include:

The location of the Chicago Promise Walk has special meaning to this cause. The Lying-in Hospital is a special place here in Chicago waiting to promote and celebrate the news of a cause or cure for preeclampsia. Not many people probably know this or even notice it, but on the historic hospital building, stone plaques incorporated into the architecture of the building honor pioneers in the field of obstetric care. The careful observer will notice a conspicuously blank plaque on the façade facing the famous Midway Plaisance. That plaque has remained blank since the building was constructed in 1929 and is reserved for the name of the person who discovers the cause or cure for preeclampsia. There has yet to be a viable candidate to occupy that plaque - even though preeclampsia is a centuries-old condition.

If you are interested in registering to participant in the Walk, see Jeff or Jill or visit http://www.promisewalk.org/pfpw/CompleteRegistration.asp?fkroledescid=1. You can join the Siegel team by selecting "Flock of Siegels" from the pull-down menu.

If you can't make it on the 23rd, you can make a donation here to support Brooklyn's Walk effort:  http://www.promisewalk.org/pfpw/participantpage.asp?fundid=31&uid=83&fkroledescid=1&nnaffundid=9.

"If, by sharing my story and calling attention to the disorder, I can help arm another woman and her family against the risks that preeclampsia can bring, I will be very happy. It was upon my own initiative that I called my doctor to check on the results of my 24-hour urine tests - late on a Friday afternoon," Jill says. "If I hadn't, we might have lost precious hours and the opportunity to get those invaluable steroid shots for Brooklyn. I really feel like there is no good reason other than luck that things unfolded as they did. I have to put that good luck to use for others."

More about the Preeclampsia Foundation can be found at www.preeclampsia.org and www.promisewalk.org.

Thank you for your contribution this month.