On September 28, 2012 Michelle Moon suffered an amniotic fluid embolism (AFE); approximately 1 in 40,000 mothers experience an AFE during childbirth. Her life was unexpectedly threatened and turned upside down during what should have been one of the most joyous times of her young family’s life; the delivery of their baby girl Piper. The doctors gave her a survival rate of only 15%. AFE was originally defined as a disease in 1941, to date AFE remains an unpreventable, unpredictable, and often-fatal complication of pregnancy. AFE is characterized by acute and rapid collapse of mother and/or baby as a result of an allergic-like reaction to amniotic fluid entering the maternal circulatory system. Many mothers lose their lives to AFE and sometimes their baby’s lives are threatened or lost as well.
“I cannot even begin to express how grateful I am to be here today along with our healthy daughter. Surviving an AFE is a traumatic and life-altering event; it is something that changes you. After my initial recovery, we turned to the Amniotic Fluid Embolism Foundation to seek answers and support.” – Michelle Moon
Our cause: The Amniotic Fluid Embolism Foundation (a 501-c-3 non-profit), is the ONLY patient advocacy organization, serving those affected or devastated by a rare & unpredictable birth complication known as an Amniotic Fluid Embolism (AFE). Their mission is to fund research, raise public awareness, and provide support for those whose lives have been touched by this often fatal maternal health complication. They are an international network of those affected by AFE, advised by a world-renowned medical advisory board comprising of respected physicians, nurses and expert researchers. The AFE Foundation also collaborates with other non-profit organizations, governmental agencies, prestigious academic institutions and corporate partners to help carry out their mission and vision.
All of the proceeds from this event will benefit the AFE Foundation’s continued mission to spur research, raise public awareness and provide support for those whose lives have been touched by this often-fatal maternal health complication. (For more information about AFE: www.afesupport.org)