The New York Metro Chapter of the Star Legacy Foundation will be holding a Let’s Not Be Still! 5K run and two mile walk to raise money to support perinatal loss education programs for local labor and delivery nurses and obstetricians on Saturday, April 22, at 9:30 a.m. at North Hempstead Beach Park at 175 W. Shore Rd. in Port Washington.
The chapter is a group of devoted Long Island parents who have lost babies and formed the New York Metro Chapter of the Star Legacy Foundation. SLF is based in Minnesota and is focused on stillbirth education, research and family support. The New York chapter is the first affiliate outside Minnesota.
Stillbirth is one of the most poorly understood health issues the chapter recognizes the need for education in the medical community and grief support for families. This year the SLF started a program called Peer Companions, which pairs mothers, fathers and grandparents of stillborn babies with families who have recently suffered a loss.
Volunteers who have received special training offer one-on-one emotional support and guidance in the critical days, weeks and months after these families leave the hospital, a time when many feel confused and alone in their grief. The chapter has peer companions available to connect with families on Long Island and in the tristate area.
Stillbirth is generally defined as fetal death in the second half of pregnancy. Some 26,000 babies in the United States are stillborn each year and many of these deaths occur suddenly and without explanation. The SLF chapter believes some babies can be saved if parents and medical professionals know the signs of fetal trouble and better understand risk factors.
To register for the event, go to www.letsnotbestill5K.org.
