Elizabeth Barnett knows all too well the devastating effects of preeclampsia, a life-threatening disorder that occurs during pregnancy. Nearly three years ago she lost her son when her condition forced her to give birth at 23 weeks.
“Since then, it’s been my mission and focus to raise awareness about the disease,” said Barnett, the San Jose coordinator for the upcoming Promise Walk for Preeclampsia on May 3 at Santana Row Park in San Jose. “There are many people who don’t even know what [preeclampsia] is, or they know but they think it is something that happens toward the end of pregnancy when it is safe to deliver.”
Sadly, Barnett knows otherwise. Her son, Cooper, did not survive the very premature delivery, and since then she’s been working tirelessly to combat the deadly disorder.
“We just don’t know why it happens,” she said. “We’re raising money to find the cause of it and hopefully find a cure other than delivering the baby.”
To that end, hundreds of women from all over Northern California will come together at the May 3 Promise Walk to bring attention to the disorder, raise public awareness about the warning signs and raise money to combat the condition that is affecting thousands of women each year.
“May is National Preeclampsia Awareness Month, deliberately chosen to coincide with Mother’s Day,” Preeclampsia Foundation executive director Eleni Tsigas said. “Almost 300,000 women in the U.S. each year are affected by preeclampsia, with approximately 25 percent of those resulting in serious adverse outcomes to either mother, baby or both.”
Preeclampsia occurs in as many as one in 12 pregnancies and is the leading cause of death, both maternal and fetal, during pregnancy in the U.S. Worldwide, nearly 76,000 mothers and half a million babies die each year from it. However, there is no known cause and no way to screen for it, and the only cure right now is to deliver the baby, often times too early for survival.
Barnett said the goal for the fourth annual San Jose walk is to raise $20,000 and educate as many people about preeclampsia as possible.
“People don’t realize how deadly and serious it is. A lot of the symptoms are symptoms you would just categorize as regular pregnancy symptoms–headaches, high blood pressure, swelling. Those are all symptoms that should really be taken very seriously if you are pregnant,” Barnett said.
The San Jose walk is open to everyone, and Barnett said that it will be a family-fun event that will include people sharing their stories, recent medical research, a DJ, face painter and activities for the kids.
For more information or to register for the walk, visit promisewalk.org/sanjose. Registration for adults is $20 in advance or $30 at the walk, and $10 for children.
