Visit with Aunt Gerry

After the Preeclampsia walk Dana and I drove over to his Aunt's house. We had a great time visiting and catching up with Aunt Gerry. Once again we ate at Cafe 56. The food is so good, I wish we had one in our neighborhood. On second thought, it's probably best that we don't. Thank you for a wonderful visit, Aunt Gerry.

Preeclampsia Walk 2010

On Saturday, May 8 Dana and I participated in the Promise Walk for Preeclampsia. It was nice to see some of my friends from last year and meet some new people. It's great to see the Preeclampsia walk growing but at the same time it breaks my heart. There are two reasons for the increase in the amount of people attending. First, more people are becoming aware that such a foundation exist and are reaching out for help. The second reason is that mothers and their babies continue to be effected by this horrible condition. I wanted to thank everyone for your sponsorship. Hopefully, some day soon there will be a "real" cure.

The funniest part of the day was the ladybug release. People walked around with plastic containers and shook some ladybugs into everyone's hand. A man put some ladybugs in a toddler's hand and he popped them right into his mouth. His mother said she got three off his lips and two from inside his mouth but she had no idea how many he swallowed.

Preeclampsia Walk 2010

This Saturday Dana and I will be participating in the Promise Walk for Preeclampsia in San Diego. As most of you know or have read, my son, Ryan was born at 26 weeks due to severe Preeclampsia. This walk is very near and dear to my heart. The only cure for Preeclampsia is to deliver the baby. It is not even known what causes this horrible condition. Our hope is that one day a "real" cure will be discovered so that all babies can have a full 9 months.

The Road to Ryan:

When Dana and I decided the time was right to start a family, we thought we had it planned out pretty well. WE WERE WRONG. We spent 2 1/2 years trying to get pregnant. We received advice and encouragement from many people. Some conventional, some unconventional. We tried with our socks on, we tried with our socks off, one sock on and one off. We even tried with two socks on one foot. I was given a magnetic fertility bracelet. It didn't attract a baby, only a salt shaker and some silverware. Alas after many nights, (and some afternoons) of hard work, it happened. I was ecstatic and Dana was shocked.

The pregnancy wasn't easy. I had morning sickness that lasted all day, flu, kidney stone, and eventually the condition that forced Ryan to be born 14 weeks too soon. I went to my doctor's appointment for the glucose test and ended up on bed rest in labor and delivery. My blood pressure was 180/90, my face was swollen, and I was spilling protein at 3+. I had no idea that I had Preeclampsia. Ryan and I rested for several days. One night my blood pressure shot up and Ryan stopped moving. The doctor decided Ryan had a better chance of survival on the outside so the "cure" for my Preeclampsia was to deliver him as soon as possible. Ryan entered our lives at 3:35 A.M. weighing 1 pound and 7 ounces. Sixteen days later Ryan went to the safe and loving arms of God. Although he is not physically here with us, he lives on forever in our hearts.

Preeclampsia Walk

  The balloon release

Dana and I at the starting line
Dana and Aunt Gerry
On Saturday May 9 Dana and I drove down to San Diego to participate in the preeclampsia walk.  We walked 1.5 miles along Mission Bay.  It was a short walk but I felt at home among the women I met with the same condition.  I signed up for a DNA testing kit.  The preeclampsia researchers will compare the cotton swabs of saliva.  They will be looking for common discrepancies amongst the women providing samples.  I'm excited to have the chance to be a part of the research.  Hopefully it will bring researchers closer to finding a real cure.  After the walk Dana and I met his Aunt Gerry for lunch.  We ate at Cafe 56.  The food was delicious.  Dana and I enjoyed catching up with his aunt.  The last time we saw her was at Ryan's funeral, almost a year ago.  

Lisa 

March for Babies

   

 

On April 26, 2009 Dana and I participated in the walk for babies at Fashion Island in Newport Beach.  We were amazed by the number of people.  There must have been anywhere from 3-4 thousand.  It was great to see so many people dedicating their time to help stop premature birth.  My mom and nephew also joined us on the 5.5 mile walk.  My nephew, Derek who is only 6 years old was a real trooper.  He walked the whole way.  We only had to bribe him a few times with cotton candy at the finish line.  Dana was not feeling well but he also managed to hang in there.  Overall the walk was great.  The only hard part for me was reading other people's shirts and wondering why their baby made it and mine didn't.  

Thanks Jean for helping me design an adorable shirt.  Several people complimented it and one person even asked where I had it made.   

Lisa