EOY bannert
Lucy's wish had come true:
she was having a second grandchild!
Lucy is the kind of grandmother every kid wants: fun, energetic and full of love. When her son and daughter-in-law announced they were pregnant, Lucy couldn't imagine anything better than having TWO grandchildren to spoil.

   

No one thought too much of her daughter-in-law's complaints of unrelenting headaches and abdominal pain; after all, she had been pregnant before and the medical team had not instructed her to report such symptoms. 

 

On October 4, Lucy was called to come over to babysit because her daughter-in-law was having very mild contractions and was going to the hospital, even though her delivery was expected at the end of the month.

 

Lucy remembers; "I was putting my granddaughter to bed. She was so excited, her last words before she fell asleep were, 'Grandma, I'm so happy! I'm going to help mommy take care of my baby brother. I'm going to feed him and kiss him all up.'"

 

One hour later she got the phone call from her son that resounds in her mind to this day: "Ma, you need to get here ASAP. The doctors can't hear his heartbeat."  

 

It was the first time any of the family heard the word "preeclampsia." 

 

"He was so perfect; all he needed was to breathe," cries Lucy. "I asked God to take my breath and give it to him. I held him, unwrapped his blanket and counted all his fingers and toes. I told him how much he was wanted and loved, that I would never forget him, and when anyone asked how many grandchildren I had, I would always include him in my count."

 
Lucy Perez is the proud grandma of 2 beautiful babies...
But she only gets to hold one in her arms. 

"When I wish... I wish no family would know this pain."    ~ Lucy Perez
Our wish is that all grandparents have the chance to hold their children's babies in their arms and watch them grow.

Around the world, 500,000 babies die because of preeclampsia, a life-threatening disorder that occurs only during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Even in the US.

All pregnancies are at risk, so our best defense against the worst outcomes is to ensure moms and health care providers understand and appropriately respond to the warning signs of preeclampsia.

In 2012, 30,000 women and their families were educated about preeclampsia through our patient education campaign... and 1.3 million people received information from www.preeclampsia.org.

With your help, we can drive awareness, advance our scientific understanding and medical practices, and together help create a world where preeclampsia and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy no longer threaten the lives of mothers and babies.

Please join us today with a gift to support our mission so when a grandmother makes a wish... it can be one of joy, inspiration and wonder. 

Thank you.

Eleni Tsigas
Executive Director
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About The Preeclampsia Foundation 
The Preeclampsia Foundation (www.preeclampsia.org) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization whose mission is to reduce maternal and infant illness and death due to preeclampsia, HELLP syndrome, and other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy by providing patient support and education, raising public awareness, catalyzing research and improving healthcare practices. We envision a world where preeclampsia no longer threatens the lives of mothers and babies. Our non-profit tax identification number is 91-2073087.