Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Community members gathered at South Side Middle School in Rockville Centre on Sept. 26 for the family-friendly Promise Walk benefiting the Preeclampsia Foundation, which works to prevent pregnancy-related complications that threaten the lives of mothers and babies.
Originally planned as an outdoor walk around the middle school track, the event was moved indoors because of the nor’easter. Participants walked laps around the gymnasium and enjoyed games, a photo booth, refreshments and raffles. Informational tables and presentations from several speakers rounded out the program.
Chaired by Andrea Bernardo and Alexis LaVacca, the event highlighted preeclampsia, eclampsia and HELLP syndrome, conditions that can pose serious risks during pregnancy.
“I lived through the fear, uncertainty, and life-threatening reality of it — not once, but twice,” Bernardo wrote on the event’s Instagram page. “In both 2021 and 2024, I developed severe postpartum preeclampsia and had to be re-hospitalized after giving birth. During those times, I was separated from my newborns. It’s an experience no one should have to endure, and yet so many do — often without warning or understanding of what is happening.
“I walk to raise awareness, to push for better education and support for mothers, and to honor the strength it took to survive,” she continued. “Most of all, I walk so that one day there will hopefully be a cure. Until then, I walk so that others will not have to face preeclampsia alone.”
Donations to the broader Long Island Promise Walk fundraising campaign support the Preeclampsia Foundation’s efforts to improve pregnancy outcomes through education, community support, better health care practices and research toward a cure.
