Saving Grace

On November 6th I was privileged to be a photographer at Saving Grace ~ a special event held in downtown Seattle to benefit the Preeclampsia Foundation. The evening included a VIP reception with live music from Samantha Shelton followed by dinner, an auction, and a special program. It was a very moving evening and I felt honored to be there and document the night.

I honestly didn't realize how devastating preeclampsia can be for some women. And how many lives of babies it claims. I had preeclampsia with my first, but it was just a little blip of a memory. The only inconvenience was having my blood pressure monitored the entire time I was in the hospital. Thankfully I had gone full term, my labor and delivery was quick, and the symptoms of preeclampsia disappeared after my son was born. My sister had it much rougher than I did. Hers progressed into HELLP syndrome, which can be life-threatening to both the mother and the baby. But once again she was blessed and everything turned out just fine. But after spending the evening at this event, I learned that there are many, many people who do not have the same story. Women who lost their babies. Husbands who lost their wives. It was a humbling experience.

The Preeclampsia Foundation was founded so that these tragic stories can be told. So research can be funded. So knowledge and understanding can be shared ~ not just in this nation but throughout the world. In fact, people representing several different countries were in Seattle that evening. I met individuals from Croatia, England, Argentina, and more.

Hopefully through the work that this organization is doing, lives can be saved. To find out more, please visit www.preeclampsia.org.

Here are some of the pictures I took that share the story of what this evening was like: