MELBOURNE, Fla., Aug. 1, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Preeclampsia survivors and their supporters
from across the United States will
hit the pavement on Saturday, August 24,
2024, as part of the fifth annual Promise Walk Wherever
virtual event to benefit the Preeclampsia Foundation. This year,
three-time preeclampsia survivor, Kelceymarie Warner, who is known
for her popular TikTok videos will be joining the event as its
Honorary Chair.
Preeclampsia is a leading cause of premature birth, and for
Kelceymarie, the warning signs in her fourth pregnancy began at 24
weeks.
"I knew something was wrong. My blood pressure started to rise,
I occasionally saw flecks in my vision, and my face and hands were
becoming puffy," said Warner. "My provider wasn't concerned, but
having been down this road twice before, I KNEW something was
off. It was incredibly frustrating. I felt like people
thought I was being dramatic or attention-seeking because I went in
for blood pressure checks so often, and I felt like my concerns
were being dismissed."
Preeclampsia, which is a potentially dangerous condition of
pregnancy characterized by high blood pressure and organ
dysfunction, can be difficult to diagnose. Its symptoms, which
include severe headache, swelling, weight gain, nausea and
vomiting, and upper right quadrant pain, often seem like "normal"
pregnancy woes.
Kelceymarie spoke up for herself as an empowered patient when a
few weeks later, she found out that her unborn daughter showed
signs of interuterine growth restriction (IUGR). She insisted on a
referral to a high-risk maternal fetal medicine specialist, who
decided to admit her to a hospital for the safety of her and her
baby. Two hours later, she was rushed in for an emergency c-section
at just shy of 30 weeks pregnant.
Preeclampsia is more common in first-time pregnancies, but can
occur in any pregnancy. Those like Warner, who have had
preeclampsia in a previous pregnancy, are also at elevated risk for
developing it again.
"Two hours later, I was being wheeled into an operating room,
and my husband was asked to wait outside while they prepped me. I
have never felt so sick or so close to death in my life," said
Warner. "A real part of me felt like I was going to die. This was
it—the third time was the charm, and it was going to kill me."
Thankfully, Warner and her youngest daughter Madeleine made it
through delivery safely – but Madeleine spent the next 85 days in
the neonatal intensive care unit. She came home with a feeding pump
and O2 monitor, needing vigilant care for multiple months. Warner
found comfort in the community and education provided by the
Preeclampsia Foundation.
"Our Promise Walk Wherever is a great opportunity for families
affected by preeclampsia and our supporters like Kelceymarie to
connect virtually, share their experiences, and help fund research
to hopefully one day find a cure that could have prevented
premature births like Madeleine's," said Preeclampsia Foundation
CEO Eleni Z. Tsigas. "The traumatic
nature of the preeclampsia experience on moms, their partners, and
their families makes the connection, education and community they
find here vital to their healing."
Everyone is invited to join Kelceymarie's team or start their
own to support research funding. For more information on Promise
Walk Wherever and to register for the event, log on to the Promise
Walk website. Visit our website to read Kelceymarie's full
story.
About the Preeclampsia Foundation
The Preeclampsia Foundation is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) non-profit
organization established in 2000 to improve the outcomes of
hypertensive disorders of pregnancy by educating, supporting, and
engaging the community, improving healthcare practices, and finding
a cure. We envision a world where preeclampsia and related
hypertensive disorders of pregnancy no longer threaten the lives of
mothers and babies. For more information, visit
www.preeclampsia.org.
Contact:
Laney Poye
Director of Communications & Engagement
321.421.6957
381195@email4pr.com
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SOURCE Preeclampsia Foundation