Donations for Mia

Edit: After receiving permission from Mia’s family, I wanted to share more about Mia’s story. They want Mia’s story told because Mia is another black mother who has been prematurely taken from this earth due to the disparities in health care faced by the black community. Maternal mortality rates are 4x’s higher for Black and Brown women than they are for their White peers, therefore it’s clear A LOT of work needs to be done to be done. Mia, her partner/ Leo’s father, Moses, and I (her doula) arrived at Vanderbilt University Hospital Thursday morning excited and eager to meet their baby boy. Mia had a scheduled induction and things had progressed along like any other birth. She labored long hours, breathed through contractions, and we waited; however, Leo seemed to be content where he was at. Mia had went a long while fighting through the pain and discomfort of labor, but after she received her epidural and was comfortable again, she was back smiling and laughing the whole time. Despite it being so gloomy those two days, her smile brightened that hospital room as if the sun was directly beaming in her window. Things were going smoothly until Saturday morning when she unexpectedly had a pulmonary embolism. As a result, a bedside emergency c-section was done to save baby Leo. He was revived and is still in the hospital putting up a good fight; getting better and better each day. Blood thinners were given to Mia to treat the blood clots, but consequently they made her uterus bleed uncontrollably from the c-section. For the better half of 24 hours Mia was in procedures fighting for her life. Mia was strong, she fought so hard and the hospital did everything they could to save her. On Sunday, (8/02) Mia passed away. In her passing she’s left behind behind Baby Leo, her mother, two older sisters, two nieces, her partner, and tons of other family and friends who love Mia so much. Mia Stallings was best known for her kind heart and loving spirit. She was the life of the part and always ready to “turn up”, but also would sit out from the “turn up” anytime and offer to babysit so that everyone else could get out and have fun. She LOVED all her babies so much. Mia wanted nothing more in life than to be a mother herself, and was looking forward to meeting her baby boy. I know without a doubt that she was going to be a phenomenal mother. I’m happy to know Leo will grow up knowing how much his mother loved him before she even laid eyes on him. Because this devastating turn of events happened so unexpectedly, Mia’s family could use all the support possible. We are asking for donations to help her family with hospital expenses, given that Mia had been in the hospital since Thursday, had several extensive medical procedures in attempts to safe her life, and baby Leo remains in the hospital for weeks to come; as well as funeral cost. Please donate if you feel inclined and/or share Mia’s story. There are so many questions and what-if’s being asked about what happened to Mia. It is vital for her story to be shared to spark conversations about restoring Black Maternal Health and so that the necessary work can be done to potentially save another Black/Brown Mother. Thank you everyone for your donations, prayers, and condolences . Love & Light, Alisha