On February 26th, 2023 I went into the Emergency Room, 6 weeks and 2 days pregnant with a concerning amount of pain on my right side. My doctor told me to come in for an ultrasound to “rule out an ectopic pregnancy.” I was terrified but trying to remain hopeful as I was going to get an ultrasound and see our baby for the first time. On the ultrasound, they didn’t find a baby in my uterus. Instead they found a mass in my right fallopian tube and some internal bleeding. Before I knew it I was rushed in to emergency surgery where I would have my right tube removed. This was my first surgery aside from getting my wisdom teeth removed(not the same.) I woke up from surgery with so much pain and devastation as we had lost our first baby and we didn’t know what the road ahead would look like. I found out I was pregnant on February 10th, 2023. On Valentine’s Day Patrick got me a teddy bear with a name tag that said “Riley.” I jokingly said “are you trying to make a name suggestion here?” So when I went into surgery late February 26/early February 27th, I was terrified as to what might happen during surgery, I told Patrick I wanted to name this one Riley. We are doing the 80 in 1 challenge to honor our Riley and all that they could have been. We are also walking because I feel there is not as much awareness for Ectopic pregnancies and so many women are affected by it.

The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust strives to provide information, education and support to those affected by early pregnancy complications and to the health professionals who care for them. Ectopic pregnancy is a common, life-threatening condition that is the leading cause of maternal death in the first trimester of early pregnancy, The condition affects around 1 in 80 pregnancies in the UK and occurs when an embryo grows outside the womb. The EPT believes that the deaths and trauma associated with ectopic pregnancy should be prevented. We seek to relieve the distress associated with the experience and provide ongoing support through their treatment and beyond.

Please support our enthusiastic 80in1 challengers who will be working hard through the month to cover their distance and will be raising crucial funds and awareness for ectopic pregnancies.