Livingston Declares Preeclampsia Awareness Month

Livingston mayor Rudy Fernandez will present a proclamation on Monday, March 11, declaring May, 2013, Preeclampsia Awareness Month.

Larry Bloomstein, son of Dr Richard and Linda Bloomstein of Livingston and a 1996 Livingston High School graduate, and his infant daughter Hailey, are the 2013 NJ Promise Walk for Preeclampsia Mission Family to support the Preeclampsia Foundation.

As this year's face of preeclampsia (a life-threatening disorder of pregnancy) for the Cranford NJ walk, which will be held on May 19, Bloomstein will lead the Promise Walk campaign by sharing his story and encouraging teams around the state to meet or exceed their fundraising goals.

Bloomstein’s wife, Lauren, developed preeclampsia at the end of her pregnancy.

Preeclampsia is a condition where a pregnant woman develops high blood pressure and protein in the urine after the 20th week of pregnancy. In Lauren’s case, the condition progressed rapidly into a severe variant known as HELLP syndrome.

Even after delivery, Lauren's blood pressure continued to rise to critically high levels, and just five hours later, the new mother suffered a fatal stroke.

“Traumatized, I had to leave the hospital to plan Lauren's funeral and figure out how to provide for the needs of a newborn,” said Bloomstein.

While searching for answers, he found the Preeclampsia Foundation.

While there, he heard numerous families sharing stories of delays in diagnosis. “I was saddened by the long-term effects preeclampsia had on both mother and baby, many of which could have been preventable with immediate care. I knew that I wanted to take action to help other women like Lauren.”

“It is unacceptable that an average of two women die during childbirth each day in the U.S.” said Bloomstein. “Together we are working to make all pregnant women aware of this condition, so they look for the early warning signs and make sure their health care providers can identify and take action early to save the lives of mom and baby.”

Bloomstein's parents, and walk coordinators Stephanie and Marissa Steiner (of Springfield) will receive the official proclamation on Monday.

For more information about the Cranford, NJ Promise Walk, please visit www.promisewalk.org/cranford.  For information about other walks through the area, please visit www.promisewalk.org.