Climb Out of the Darkness

Did you know that 1 in 7 women will experience postpartum depression or a related perinatal mood or anxiety disorder?  That number is greater than the number of women who will get breast cancer every year, yet we hardly hear about the 14% of women who struggle in the year following their pregnancy.  We don’t have telethons or awareness ribbons, but we do have this: the Climb Out of the Darkness, created by Postpartum Progress, Inc. to raise shine a light on and raise support for maternal mood disorders.  It is also a celebration for PPMD survivors, their family, friends, and supporters worldwide, as we hike to symbolize our collective rise out of the darkness and stigma of maternal mental illness.

Join Team Hudson Valley/Housatonic for our 2nd Climb on Saturday, June 20th at 10:00 a.m., on the white trail at Sal J. Prezioso Mountain Lakes Park in North Salem.  This easy-moderate, family-friendly hike is open to all and will be held rain or shine (except in the case of severe weather, when we’ll postpone until June 27th).  We’ll start with an opening ceremony and then, when we’ve reached our lookout point, celebrate with a picnic (byo food).  For legal reasons, all participants ages 16 and up must register online at http://bit.ly/COTDHudsonValley2015.  Fundraising, while encouraged, is not required, and there is no entry fee, but consider this: a donation of $10 will keep the lights on at the Postpartum Progress blog for one day; $50 can help educate and support more than 20,000 moms for just one week of the year.  And this year, 15% of all funds raised by New York teams will go to the Postpartum Resource Center of NY to help provide local support groups and education on postpartum mood disorders.  Every little bit helps.  For more information, visit www.postpartumprogress.org, www.postpartumny.org, or email me at gaelcat at omcast.net.

In the name of new mothers everywhere, I offer a big “thanks” for your help- whether you join us for the Climb, make a donation, or spread the word.  Maternal mental illness is a hidden struggle for many, but with your help, we can make the struggle easier and bring moms out of their darkness, into the light.

For Climb updates, visit our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/COTDHudsonandHousatonicValleys