For anyone who’s ever been pregnant, you know what a joyous time it can be. But it can also be a time of worry, praying and hoping your baby is healthy. Unfortunately, fetal distress and syndromes affect 800,000 pregnancies per year in the US alone. This is four times the amount of cases per year as breast cancer. We lose more than 200 babies a day to fetal distresses and syndromes. Families faced with fetal syndromes often struggle, not knowing what to do or knowing little about their diagnosis. The Fetal Hope Foundation is here to help.
The Fetal Hope Foundation’s mission is to provide support, provide information, fund research, increase awareness and be an outlet for leading medical information pertaining to fetal distresses and syndromes. We are all about arming families and healthcare providers with information and helping to save babies’ lives. And now you can help, too!
What: Charlotte Race for Fetal Hope 5k
When: Saturday, September 19th
Time: 8am-12pm
Location: Independence Park, Charlotte, NC
Cost: $25 pre-registered ($30 Race Day); free Kids Fun Run
Website: www.raceforfetalhope.org
On September 19th at Independence Park in Charlotte, CMC Women’s Institute Race for Fetal Hope 5k presented by Traci Zeller Designs kicks off at 8am and also offers a free Kids Fun Run sponsored by the Charlotte Mothers of Multiples. Unique to its series, the RFH 5k offers a stroller division, so even those with little ones can compete in a league of their own. Also, be sure to stick around for the Family Festival, complete with games, a bounce house, dunk tank and live entertainment. Enjoy goody bags full of unique swag and coupon offers, and treats and samples from local vendors and sponsors. The Race for Fetal Hope National Race Series benefits the Fetal Hope Foundation in supporting families affected by fetal distresses and syndromes, and also serves as a liaison between the medical community who provides their care. With over 800,000 pregnancies affected each year, Fetal Hope is proud to have directly supported over 300 families in the past few years. Help us continue to save babies’ lives by participating or making a donation. To learn more, visit www.fetalhope.org.
And that’s not all! Two Smarty establishments are teaming up to help out too:
*Nothing but Noodles
Nothing But Noodles on Elizabeth is the Race Day Food Sponsor and they want to thank you in advance for your participation. Get your pre-race meal at Nothing but Noodles on Friday September 18th. Mention that you will be running in the race on Saturday and we will donate 25% of your purchase to Fetal Hope.org. For more information on Nothing but Noodles, visit their site at www.nothingbutnoodles.com or call 704-295-1466.
*Free Appetizer at Carrabba’s with $25 donation
Make a donation on Race Day or online (mention Carrabba’s) and receive a free appetizer card compliments of Carrabba’s on South Boulevard.
And last but not least – we want to help some of our Smarty readers get to the race! If you or someone you know has personally been impacted by this incredible organization, let us know! Post a comment with your story or send it to info@charlottesmartypants.com. We will pick 5 readers at random that provide a story and email address to receive a complimentary race registration for the Race for Fetal Hope 5K. For the rest of us – come on out to Independence Park on September 19 and help support this great cause and don’t forget to sport your Smarty Pink to show how much Smarty Pants Cares. We’ll be there cheering everyone on from the CSP table – make sure you stop by!
2 comments
I'm a proud mommy of TTTS angels Claudia and Emily.We lost them April 1998. Through the love and support of our family,friends and the TTTS foundations we were able to endure the loss of our baby girls and move forward. I am raising money and running to help other families who may be experiencing a loss or complications due to this syndrome. Any smarty mommies are welcome to join our team It's all"GOOD"
my wife kim and i are so glad to see support for this incredible event. thank you charlotte smarty pants!we lost our son, cole, to ttts the week before his scheduled birth, and were within hours of losing his brother, xan. luckily we were scheduled for an ultrasound, and the doctors were able to jump into action and save xan in time. even though we received excellent care and had been monitored for ttts the entire pregnancy, the disease presented in an unexpected way and went undiagnosed.it means a lot to us to have an organization like the fetal hope foundation and an event like the race for fetal hope. it gives us something positive to put our energies toward, and a way to make cole's life more meaningful and impactful to others. like claudia's and emily's mom, it's helped us endure and find hope in a dark place. our hope is that we can help change the outcome for other families.this will be our third year participating as 'team xan + cole', and i hope to see you all at the race.