Her first year was a blur, as it is for most parents, but as her birthday crept up, I wanted to mark the occasion with raising awareness for ICP. Knowing not every Cholestasis of Pregnancy mother gets to celebrate their child’s first birthday, it was the best way I could think of to celebrate our sweet girl. We rented a space at a local restaurant, Campo Di Bocce, that had bocce ball and asked for donations from our friends and family instead of gifts. We hosted a bocce ball tournament and held a silent auction during the event to raise even more money. We were extremely fortunate to have the help from many to make the event happen!
It was a great event that accomplished three things that are extremely important to our family: 1) Celebrate the birth of our little miracle ICP baby 2) Raise awareness of ICP, as to many people have no idea what it is and 3) Raise money to support ICP research and awareness as it is an extremely underfunded disease. One of my uncles said “oh now I sorta understand what the condition”. Every little bit of education helps when spreading awareness! Between donations, bocce ball tournament tickets, and the silent auction we raised over $5,000.
It still amazes me how ICP can affect families in such a terrible way, yet so many people have no clue what it is. This includes myself, as I had already had a pregnancy and had never heard of the condition until I read that article. It is also frightening how many doctors are uneducated about this disease. There is a real need for ICP Care and the tremendous work they do to spread awareness, fund research, and support women with the condition. I am truly thankful for the support I received through ICP Care, and we are so happy to make any sort of contribution towards that work.
Even now that I am starting to deal with post-partum itching (cyclical), ICP Care has been an invaluable support and knowledge system. I hope through awareness and research we will one day have a better understanding and treatment for this horrific disease.
Xoxo
Courtnay Kenney, California
