My Own Mother

My name is Danielle. I am a member of WWHI's Advisory Committee and this is my mother. She will be one of the lucky recipients to get a gift from our Mother's Day campaign this year.

I was adopted as a baby. So, I have the unique experience of having two mothers. While I am thankful for the brave unknown woman who carried me for nine months and then actually physically produced me, this is the woman who raised me, fed me, taught me, loved me and continues to always be there for me. Whether it was letting me move back in while I was between apartments or driving an hour to hang out with me after a broken heart, she is always there for me when I need her.

My mother is beautiful, smart, fun, dependable and kind. I am thankful for her everyday and learn more and more what a wonderful gift she is. A big 'Hurray!' to all the mothers out there. To those who carried children, those who raised them and even those who aren't our actual mothers, but have taken us under their wing, thank you! We love you!

Donation Update...

Here is a quick update on the success of our Mother’s day donation campaign so far: to date we have raised close to $500 in donations! Not a bad start but I certainly believe we can step up our efforts and do more. Remember, every dollar counts and brings us one step closer to giving life.

Mother’s Day will soon be here and for all you procrastinators out there, here is your opportunity to find your mother a great gift that also honors motherhood. Remember to get your ordering in by May 3^rd.

Check out www.wwhi.org to order your gift now!

Melissa's Story

Hello WWHI readers. My name is Melissa and I have been invited to share my birth story with all of you. I relate to WWHI's mission because I believe no mother giving birth should be alone. Hopefully you'll enjoy my story.

My son was born on August 7^th 2009. He is such a blessing to my family and me. Every day is full of excitement. Without the care that he and I received I am not entirely sure that we would have survived to be here today. When my son was born he went into shock and refused to breath. It took a team of nurses and doctors to get him to breath. Several hours later they brought my son to me so I could feed him. While he was Brest feeding, it caused my uterus to contract and as a result I hemorrhaged. The baby was taken away from me and within minutes I had about six nurses and two doctors working on me, trying to get the bleeding to stop, they were prepping me for surgery. I remember I almost blacked out, things were spinning, but I was able to hold on. They finally got the bleeding to stop and I did not need surgery after all, I ended up losing about a litter of blood total, it took about five months before I felt like myself again.

I know millions of women go through much worse then what I went through, but I feel that if the women and girls in other parts of the world that are less fortunate then our country the mortality rate could be a lot lower, and in these rural parts of the world it wouldn’t be a time of morning, but rather a time of happiness and joy. If we could do the simple act of helping women and young girls who are in desperate need for knowledge and support, just think how that action can have a ripple effect, not just on the women or girls you help, but you will be helping a family, a linage, and a society to become better and stronger as time goes on.

Why Give...

The opportunity to give someone their mother back is rare and priceless, never pass up such an opportunity.

Necklace of Hope

We have drawn a lucky winner....

Corinne! Please send me an email to candace at wwhi dot org and we'll get you set up with your free necklace! Thanks everyone for entering.

Corinne said...

I would choose the "hope" necklace. I think it's really cute and love the message.

APRIL 20, 2010 1:40 PM

We're hoping to do another give away soon, so check back for another chance to win!

P.S. Here for the first time? We are really jazzed about our Mother's Day Campaign--this necklace is one of the gifts you can give your mom for a donation to WWHI. Check it out!

KSL 5 Coverage of WWHI Mother's Day Campaign

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Giving on Faith

By Carri Hulet

My voluntary job with WWHI is to raise money. We need it, and someone's gotta do it, so I'm thankful for a truly amazing group of volunteers that have rallied to make it happen. But it's hard at first. We are getting off the ground and I freely admit that I dream of the day when we will have years of evidence and experience behind us to show that WWHI's efforts actually do decrease maternal mortality in the most dire circumstances. I know that will happen, and someday we will have to do less begging and cajoling, less "leveraging" of friendships, and with any luck we will have more to offer our supporters than the proverbial warm fuzzies and a virtual bear hug.

Perhaps. Perhaps there will be some things that get easier. But even as I play out my fantasies of fatter times ahead, I can't help but be grateful for the privilege of being one of the first to ask when the giver has no less noble motivation than sheer generosity and kindness. When we ask someone to help us do something we can't prove we will do, the offering in return is nothing short of sacred.

Today, we feel the weight of every donated coin; the sacrifice of every volunteer hour. As we plan out our research efforts this summer, then look ahead in the future to building a school, recruiting trainers, and educating and supporting the student practitioners, we feel bound to spend every dollar in a way that does honor to the hope with which it was given.

In a way, I feel our donors are showing the same kind of faith and confidence in us that every mother shows as she invests early in the potential of her children. Thanks moms. And thanks donors. We'll do you proud.