PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy, Inc.

On March 22, 2024, our beautiful daughter, Emma, was born still. As we approach what would have been her first birthday, we want to honor her memory in a meaningful way—by supporting **Push for Empowered Pregnancy**, an organization dedicated to preventing stillbirths through awareness, education, and improved medical practices.

Pregnancy is not one-size-fits-all. Even when everything seems normal and healthy, every baby and every pregnancy are unique. Families deserve individualized care that goes beyond routine approaches to ensure the best possible outcomes. Research shows that **25% of stillbirths—50% after 37 weeks—are preventable**, yet too often, critical warning signs are missed or dismissed.

Push for Empowered Pregnancy works tirelessly to change this by advocating for better education, improved medical protocols, and more proactive monitoring to help babies arrive safely.

In Emma’s honor, we invite you to join us in making a difference. Your support will help push for the changes needed to save lives and spare families from this unimaginable pain. Every contribution, big or small, moves us closer to a future where every baby gets the healthy start they deserve.

Thank you for standing with us, for Emma, and for all the babies who should be here.

In honor of James's second birthday, I will be running the New York City Half Marathon on March 17th. It is my first time running any sort of race beyond a 5K and I'm proud to be able to do it this year in memory of James.

For background, our first child, James Robert, was stillborn on January 11, 2022, when I was 34 weeks pregnant. Throughout my pregnancy with James, I considered him to be my "training partner." We worked out together, hit Peloton milestones together, and grew stronger together. After James died, and after I was cleared to work out again post c-section, I wanted to feel connected to him again. On Peloton, I ride under the hashtag #RidingWithJames so I can see his name every time I get on the bike. So many of you have already joined us under #RidingWithJames and it brings me such joy to see you all working out with us.

This year, after the birth of James's sister, I wanted to find ways to continue to spend moments with my son. So, in November, after watching our inspiring friends run the NYC Marathon, I decided to enter the 2024 New York City Half-Marathon. With James as my training partner, my goal is to complete the half-marathon and raise $11,122 for PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy (https://www.pushpregnancy.org/) an organization that has continued to tirelessly advocate for James and other stillborn babies.

PUSH's mission is to lower the incidence of preventable stillbirth. No one likes to think about stillbirth. The topic is not often discussed by society and the medical community, but stillbirth claims more children under 14 years old than premature birth, SIDS, car accidents, drowning, guns, fire, flu, poison, and listeria combined. In fact, stillbirth claims more than 23,000 American children each year, or 65 pregnancies per day. By making a gift, you will be helping lower the incidence of stillbirth, and honoring the memory of our son James and the 23,000 babies born still every year in the United States.

The goal for this fundraiser is set at $11,122--the date of James's birthday--but any amount, no matter how small or how big, is much appreciated and will help more families bring their babies home.

With love and great appreciation,

Alex