Rt 66 Half Marathon for Every Mother Counts

When I ran my first 15k, I did it for me. I did it to prove to myself I could, and that I could conquer anything life had to throw at me. When I ran my second 15k, then third, then a half-marathon, I did it because I could. I felt I owed it to anyone out there who can't even walk, let alone run, to continue running and keeping myself healthy.

We are afforded countless priveleges in the United States, particularly in maternity care, that most women worldwide do not have access to. As a result of preelampsia in my first pregnancy, I suffered two grand mal seizures after the delivery. Thankfully I had had excellent prenatal care and the hospital where I gave birth was equipped to care for me. I lived to care for my child and went on to have a second completely healthy pregnancy.

This is not the case worldwide. The five major causes of maternal mortality—hemorrhage (severe blood loss), sepsis (infection), unsafe abortion, hypertensive disorders (pregnancy complications associated with high blood pressure, including preeclampsia and eclampsia), and obstructed labor—are all treatable if the woman has access to trained healthcare workers at a well-equipped health facility.

Every Mother Counts is a campaign to end preventable deaths caused by pregnancy and childbirth around the world. We inform, engage, and mobilize new audiences to take action to improve the health and well-being of girls and women worldwide.

To download the Every Mother Counts informational postcard, click here.

Join me in supporting Every Mother Counts. I am running in the Rt. 66 Half-Marathon because I can and because so many women can't. I am running because I lived through a disease that kills many women and children. You can join by walking, trotting or running with me in the half-marathon, or you can join by donating in any denomination. I hope you will.

Every Mother Counts!

www.honeybeemama.com