As many of you know, I am a member of a few online communities that have provided me with loads of support, advice, information, friendship and so much more over the years. These communities have thousands of moms or moms-to-be all sharing in a common bond. On Sunday, one of the boards experienced a tragic loss. One of their members, Jewelyn, went into labor, ended up heading in for an emergency C-section, and then, due to a rare amniotic embolism, died in childbirth, hours after giving birth to her first child, a little girl named Gabrielle, who is doing well and will be released from the NICU this week.
I do not know Jewelyn, but her story haunts me, as a woman who has had a child and hopes to have more, who has friends who have children, are pregnant, trying to get pregnant and so on. She was simply pursuing a dream that I, and many women the world over pursue, and she lost her life because of it. Maternal death is incredibly rare these days thanks to modern medicine. But it still occurs and its terrifying. Her husband, Philip, has now been left without his wife to raise his baby girl on his own. Her daughter will never know her mother and Jewelyn was cheated out of knowing her daughter and the joy that comes with being a mother. It is horrifying and tragically unfair.
My online community is banding together to provide whatever assistance we can, and I am asking your help. A PO Box has been set up to receive formula checks and diaper coupons. Any and all brands will be accepted, and whatever Philip doesn’t use will be donated to the Liz Logelin Foundation.
Formula checks and diaper coupons can be sent to:
Jewelyn Okamoto Memorial Fund
PO Box 235971
Encinitas, CA 92023-5971
For those who want to send packages (larger than an envelope), the address for that is:
Brandi Futrell
c/o Jewelyn Okamoto Memorial Fund
14928 S. Maple Ave.
Gardena, CA 90248
A paypal account has been created and cash donations can be sent to 4jewelyn@gmail.com
This is not a hoax. This is very real and occurred on Sunday. If you have anything to give, please send them to the addresses listed above. To see a picture of Jewelyn, you can click here
