From the entire team at World Hair Institute
The parents Ajay and Samara told us their story about their sweet little baby girl Dessa, who only got to live life for a very short time. It tore us up! We felt the need to do what we could to support them in the quest to find a cure that can prevent this from happening to other families – Please read more about the Dessa Taher David Fund below – we ask you politely to donate as you find fit, and please help spread the word!
In summer of 2018, we made the decision to establish the Dessa Taher David Preeclampsia Research Fund at Feinberg School of Medicine Northwestern University in memory of our daughter, which will contribute to understanding and preventing preeclampsia. This fund is incredibly important to us for so many reasons.
Preeclampsia is a condition that only occurs during pregnancy and is marked by high blood pressure, swelling, and kidney dysfunction in the mother. Currently, there are no treatments available for preeclampsia other than delivery of the fetus and placenta. According to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, it is estimated that preeclampsia affects about 4 percent of pregnancies in the United States. Worldwide, preeclampsia and related conditions are among the leading causes of maternal mortality. Although preeclampsia occurs primarily in first pregnancies, a woman who had preeclampsia in a previous pregnancy is seven times more likely to develop preeclampsia in a later pregnancy.
The Dessa Taher David Fund will be used to support research conducted by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology with the specific hope of changing the medical landscape for the many women who are diagnosed with preeclampsia. In 2021, if we meet our goal of raising $50,000, the department will be able to begin its preeclampsia research efforts.
We are reaching out to you, as our family and friends, because we plan to do our part to help Northwestern University champion new discoveries and new approaches to prevent and treat preeclampsia. We hope you will join us to make this research a reality. To contribute, please visit Wewill.northwestern.edu/DessaResearch.
With gratitude,
Ajay and Samara