Help Melissa raise money

As many of you know, in October 2019, the course of my life and Juniper's life was changed when I developed severe preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome at 29 weeks and 6 days into my pregnancy. What started out as a trip to the hospital to have my blood pressure monitored resulted in an emergency C-section eight hours later, and a three month NICU stay for Juniper. We made it through, and were very fortunate -  but I have been left struggling to understand what happened and why. Because, though we have known about preeclampsia for a long time, and though it affects up to 8 percent of pregnancies, the causes of it are still unknown, and it still kills women and babies regularly.

Two years later, I have finally returned to running, a hobby that had previously improved my physical and mental health in countless ways. I decided late last year that I would train for the Pittsburgh Marathon this year (and hope to run it on May 1, COVID permitting). I only planned to choose a charity if one of the choices really resonated with me. And it turned out that one did. I am raising money for Magee-Womens Research Institute and Foundation because they are trying to understand issues surrounding preterm birth and pregnancy complications like preeclampsia and HELLP. I am encouraged that people are working on solving this major cause of preterm birth that continues to hurt women and babies. Please consider helping me reach my fundraising goal if you are able and inclined.