Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Jenny's Light - please help

I read the following on Cathy Yndestad's blog earlier today, and felt that by spreading the word through blog-land, perhaps we could all help. I too read Timothy Carlson's article and was quite saddened by the devistating turn of events. Even though we don't yet have children, many of my friends do - and it breaks my heart thinking that they could too be quietly enduring something so awful, through absolutely no fault of their own.

One quote by Becky (Lavelle) gave me pause for thought. It read: "When we found out how widespread postpartum depression is, it made us want to create this foundation to help. If the illness can strike someone so beautiful, kind and intelligent who had so much going for her, then it could happen to anyone." (Inside Triathlon, May 2008, page 61)

Here is Cathy's blog from Monday:

Yesterday, I visited Gear West (my favorite tri shop) to pick up the Jenny's Light water bottles I purchased from their website.

After reading Timothy Carlson's poignant article (Inside Tri; May 2008 p. 57) , and hearing more about the Jenny's light foundation, I decided to send a note to a few local tri clubs to help raise awareness for this cause, and to promote their water bottle fundraiser. With potential readers outside these distribution lists, I decided to post here to reach a larger audience.

Here's the note:
(Sent to MNTRICLUB, GEAR WEST TRI CLUB, and MINNESOTA MULTISPORTS CLUB)
Fellow Triathletes,
Although I have no personal connection to this story, I want to help spread the word about a great cause which does in fact have a connection to our triathlon community. Becky Gibbs Lavelle, a former Wayzata resident and pro triathlete, alongside her family, has created “Jenny’s Light” in response to their families’ tragic loss from postpartum illnesses.
This is a foundation created to spread awareness, educate, and help support women and families dealing with postpartum illnesses.
Gear West Bike & Triathlon has teamed up with TYR in a Fundraiser for “Jenny’s Light”. They are selling a limited edition Jenny's Light water bottle in the store and online. They will donate 100 percent of the proceeds to the Jenny's Light organization.
I just ordered a few today, and it would be so great if we could create an overwhelming response and show local support for this worthy cause.
According to their website, “contributions will be used to create content, support chosen efforts, and help spread hope where so many hearts may feel desperate, desolate, and dark.”
Although I know very little about Post Partum illnesses, it seems that awareness and therefore support can make a REAL difference.

More info:
http://www.jennyslight.org/
http://www.gearwestbike.com/

Thanks for bringing this to our attention Cathy!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I left this same comment on Cathy's blog...I'm heading to Gear West this week and I am going to stock up on bottles!! What a tragic story. Post partum hits closer to home then we know it.

Alili said...

I read the article yesterday during lunch and just lost it right ther ein the bookstore. The chance of post partum is one of the things about getting pregnant that really scares me:( Thanks for the links Marit, I just ordered my water bottle.

Bob Mitera said...

Great post Marit. This is a horrifying situation. I can't even imagine. A tremendous tragedy.

Anonymous said...

You are all forgetting a HUGE piece of this puzzle. There are MANY women who suffer from post-partum depression, but they get help and deal with things normally. THIS WOMAN COMMITTED MURDER and then KILLED HERSELF!!! I don't care how much you glorify this, she was and is a murderer! I can't imagine, no matter how bad one feels, going out and deliberately BUYING a gun so you can SHOOT your BABY???? Can you even imagine shooting your child, or any baby? There is so much more to this story, and I don't think glorifying this woman's life is the answer to post-partum depression. Shame on all of you for supporting this family.