Media Contact:
Victoria Goldstein
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THE INTERNATIONAL VASA PREVIA FOUNDATION
ANNOUNCES IT’S THIRD ANNUAL GLOBAL WALK
 
Sophie’s Walk for Vasa Previa, sponsored by the International Vasa Previa Foundation, a non-profit organization created by parents and families who have been affected by vasa previa, to take place around the world during 48-hour period to raise funds for vasa previa research for prevention of infant deaths

Boca Raton, FL — August 12, 2005— Sophie's 5K Walk/Run for Vasa Previa will take place on Saturday and Sunday, August 20-21, 2005 in more than 50 cities around the world. People around the world will be walking to generate awareness and raise funds for the prevention of infant deaths from vasa previa!

Vasa previa is a rarely (1:2000 to 3000) reported condition in which fetal blood vessel(s) from the placenta or umbilical cord cross the entrance to the birth canal, beneath the baby. The condition has a high fetal mortality rate if not diagnosed prenatally (50-90%), and an almost 100% survival rate when diagnosed prenatally through color Doppler ultrasound.

Teams and communities will have the opportunity to come together for a fun-filled event while making a tremendous difference in preventing infant deaths from vasa previa. Sophie’s Walk was started in 2002, to raise funds for the Foundation by IVPF member Victoria Goldstein-Macadar. Ms. Goldstein-Macadar lost her daughter Sophie Isabelle Macadar, to undiagnosed vasa previa in August of 2001. Sophie’s Walk has been adopted by the Foundation as it’s single most important fundraiser and takes place every year in August all around the world. Funds raised through Sophie’s walk will help bring the IVPF a step closer to reaching its goals of raising awareness about vasa previa, and adjusting the medical rules and protocols worldwide in such a way that fatal outcomes due to vasa previa can be prevented.

“When a child loses his parents, he is called an orphan, but when parents lose their child, there isn’t a word to describe them,” said Goldstein-Macadar, “This is the reason why I am now committed to preventing anybody else from going through what I have gone through.”

Raising awareness of a condition that is, in most cases, not looked for nor mentioned by doctors, is not part of the standard of care, and rarely covered by the media is harder than one thinks. Through events such as Sophie’s Walk, this group of strong and inspirational individuals hopes that someday soon, diagnosing vasa previa prenatally becomes a standard practice resulting in an end to this avoidable tragedy. 

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The International Vasa Previa Foundation (IVPF), established in January 2001, consists of women and families who have been affected by pregnancies with vasa previa. Its mission is to raise awareness about vasa previa, to disseminate information on the condition, and to facilitate research aimed at further understanding of vasa previa with the aim of minimizing the perinatal mortality from the condition.

For more information, contact the International Vasa Previa Foundation at IVPF.org and sophieswalk@...