‘Walk to Remember’ on Oct. 15 supports families who have experienced pregnancy and infant loss
Leah's Legacy has a multiple mission: educating people about the illness that took Leah Tomlin's life and providing emotional support for families who have lost babies. (Leah's Legacy)
When Bevin Tomlin realized her infant daughter, Leah, would not survive, it left a hole in her heart that remains today. She is channeling that grief into an organization that works to prevent other parents from experiencing the devastating emotional pain she went through almost four years ago.
Leah was born on Jan. 7, 2013, with a bacterial infection known as group B strep (GBS). Along with the severe infection, the newborn had difficulty breathing.
“I didn’t realize she was sick when I was pregnant. But my body knew she was sick and went into labor to get her out,” said Tomlin, who works in Alabama Power’s Customer Services organization.
Leah was quickly transferred to Children’s of Alabama, where she was connected to a heart-lung bypass machine, which is used to circulate the blood to allow organs to rest and recover. Because her tiny body could not fight off the infection, Leah lost her life six days later from a brain hemorrhage.
Leah’s Legacy: Fighting GBS, helping families cope with pregnancy and infant loss from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
Studies have shown that about one of every four women carries the GBS bacteria. Pregnant women who test positive for the bacteria and are treated with antibiotics during labor have about a one in 4,000 chance of delivering a baby who will develop the infection.
“My situation was unusual because Leah had been infected before labor started and before I could get the antibiotics,” said Tomlin, whose body carries the bacteria. “Coming out of that experience, I felt the need to make sure no other women are as uninformed as I was.”
As a first step, Tomlin hosted a GBS informational booth at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama’s Babypalooza infant and maternity expo in Tuscaloosa.
Because of the positive response she received from expectant mothers, Tomlin and her husband, Adam, decided to set up Leah’s Legacy Foundation in their daughter’s memory. The nonprofit foundation, established in July 2013, is committed to raising awareness about GBS, offering assistance to families who have lost babies, and providing education and training for neonatal intensive care nurses.
The first Leah’s Legacy fundraiser was a 5K run in October 2013, during Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. The event raised about $4,000, getting the foundation off and running.
Since then, Tomlin has continued telling her story, and providing information about GBS and pregnancy and infant loss at Babypalooza expos across the state. She distributes GBS brochures to the offices of obstetricians and gynecologists and takes part in online support for mothers who have shared her experience.
The next event is the foundation’s fourth annual fundraiser, the Walk to Remember on Saturday, Oct. 15. Instead of a 5K Run as in past years, this event will be a “bit different,” Tomlin said.
“Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day is Oct. 15,” she said. “Since it falls on Saturday this year, we decided to invite families who have lost children to come together for a walk around the lake in their memory. It will also provide an opportunity for parents to network with others who have lost babies.”
The walk will begin at 8 a.m. at Shadow Lake in McCalla. No registration is required.
Retreat for mothers
The foundation is also hosting its first (in)Complete Retreat Nov. 17-20 in Dahlonega, Ga., for women who have had a baby die.
“This will be a faith-based retreat,” Tomlin said. “I saw a need for a retreat that would help mothers find a balance between their grief and faith in God for the future. This retreat reminds us that though we are incomplete on this Earth because our babies are not on the Earth, we are complete in Christ.”
To register for the retreat, call Tomlin at 205-239-8624.
Tomlin said Leah will always be a part of their family.
“The foundation is a way for me to parent Leah, just like I parent my living children, Taylor and Barron,” Tomlin said. “Through the foundation, the walk and the retreat, we are building a support network of moms who have experienced a similar situation. As life continues, it becomes harder to parent our children and have more children. The holidays are especially difficult. We are building a close network of moms who understand our feelings and anxieties, and can talk to one another.”
Walk to Remember
When: Saturday, Oct. 15, 8 a.m.
Where: Shadow Lake, 5901 Old Huntsville Road, McCalla
More information: Leah’s Legacy Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/LeahsLegacy/, click “Events.”
