Active

Growing up, my dad was always (and still is) the kind of guy who couldn't stay still. He was the very epitome of active. That is, until my daughter was born. Colette was very tiny, not even a pound and confined to a small space in the incubator, but she moved and kept active in every way. Whether it was constantly stretching her long legs or flexing her little toes, or trying to move her tiny hand to try and remove her tubes, she never laid still.

Whether it was constantly stretching her long legs or flexing her little toes, or trying to move her tiny hand to try and remove her tubes, she never laid still.

Those movements and her active spirit is what was at the core of us creating and running The Colette Louise Tisdahl Foundation. We had seen all of the unexpected and hidden expenses that could creep up on families and we knew we had to take what we had of Colette's active spirit and do something about it. That was where the original plan of providing financial assistance to families started.

But, even that was not enough. We realized that institutional and systems advocacy and legislation and attitude changes were necessary to really get at the problems. We could continue to provide financial assistance, but we also needed to get at how to reduce the problems that are getting worse, like the fact that it is more dangerous to be pregnant and give birth for women now than it was for their mothers. We needed to shine a spotlight on that premature birth rates in the United States are still incredibly high in the United States and remain one of the leading causes of infant death. We needed to talk about how it is unacceptable that 1 in 4 pregnancies will result in loss. And we needed to make these conversations mainstream.

We also needed to get at how to reduce the problems that are getting worse, like the fact that it is more dangerous to be pregnant and give birth for women now than it was for their mothers.

It is sometimes exhausting to think about how much work is left to be done. I am always so grateful for how many people I have found, how many incredible friends I have met along the way, who roll up their sleeves and say, let's join together to figure out how best to fix this. Our activity together is so important and is something that I love collaborating with friends and colleagues, old and new. I hope to continue growing that network and would love it if you could join us (if you haven't already) or if you could work with me to figure out new and increased methods of collaboration and help. Please feel free to connect with me here, to email me at [email protected], or visit our website at www.colettelouise.com. Thanks!