The Woodlands, Texas (June 4, 2014) – On Saturday, May 31, a group of more than 40 people gathered in Town Green Park for a 5K run/walk in support of the HER Foundation. The Hyperemesis Education and Research (HER) Foundation is the world’s largest grassroots network of hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) survivors and leading site for HG information. HG survivor Jamie Kramer organized the 5K for friends and family to raise awareness of the disease that affects pregnant women.
According to the HER Foundation, Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is a severe form of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy that prevents adequate intake of food and fluids. If severe and/or inadequately treated, it is typically associated with: loss of greater than 5% of pre-pregnancy body weight, dehydration, nutritional deficiencies, and metabolic imbalances which make daily activities difficult. HG has no known cause or cure, but researchers are working on finding a cure.
Kramer was diagnosed with HG during her first pregnancy after losing 40 pounds and several misdiagnosis. Now in the last trimester of her third pregnancy, an emotional Kramer spoke to those gathered, “I want to thank you for supporting me and my family in this cause. As most of you know, during my first pregnancy doctors didn’t know what to do with me. I couldn’t keep food down and we were all worried about what that meant for the health of my son. Information from the HER Foundation helped me understand more about the disease and how to cope. I am here today because I don’t want other moms to go through what I did.”
Kramer was able to participate in the first annual 5K for the HER Foundation in Baltimore National Harbor in 2013 and felt empowered by all the survivor stories. Since she could not attend this year, she wanted to do something that had impact leading to the run/walk with friends. She will make a $500 donation to the HER Foundation through funds raised on Saturday and hopes to donate another $500 based on t-shirt sales.
During her current pregnancy, Kramer spent 10 weeks in the hospital during the first and second trimesters to ensure she would get the nutrition and monitoring she needed. “Though there is no cure, information on HG helped prepare me. I can go through months of hell because I know a little piece of heaven will be in my arms after nine months.”
For more information or to make a donation to the HER Foundation visit www.helpher.org.
