Remembering Tara - Octoberfest: An Event to Prevent

When Ryan and Tara Hansen went home from the hospital with their brand new baby boy in March of 2011, they never imagined she’d only have six days to live as a new mother.  Tara died six days after delivering her son from complications related to childbirth, leaving Ryan a single father.  Tara was 29, a special education teacher and a first-time mother and when she died, she left Ryan with a legacy and a mission to make her life and early death matter.  

Ryan Hansen founded the Tara Hansen Foundation to honor Tara's life and memory with the goal of advancing maternal health awareness and improving maternal healthcare here in America.  In a recent interview with Ryan he shared some of his experience with us. “We never think this type of thing can happen to women here. You never think that some women will die having their babies in a country where we have so much medical care available to us. It wasn’t on my radar at all until that day.   The devastation of losing Tara and for my son, of losing his mother, was so great it became vital to me to prevent this from happening to another family.  We created the foundation to have some sort of effect on the issues that cause tragedies like mine.  We wanted to make an impact that lets others know they’re not alone.  And, we wanted to continue our lives in the same selfless manner and with the compassion, generosity and positive energy that Tara lived hers with. The foundation believes that expectant parents deserve equal education on the risks associated with pregnancy and childbirth for the mother as well as the child. We don’t hear anywhere near enough about that though women die here in the US during pregnancy and childbirth far too often.”

This Saturday, October 20^th, The Tara Hansen Foundation is hosting its first annual Octoberfest: An Event to Prevent in Sea Bright New Jersey.  The beer and wine tasting event and silent auction will raise funds to benefit the advancement of maternal health awareness.   In addition, Ryan is working towards coordinating an inter-professional conference on maternal health and factors leading to maternal mortality this fall. Partnering with the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and a committee consisting of physicians, chief nursing officer and nurse managers, their goal is to increase healthcare providers awareness and education around maternal mortality.

How can you help?

 * If you live near Sea Bright, New Jersey, attend Octoberfest: An Event to Prevent.  It’s this Saturday, October 20^th from 1-6 PM.  Details provided through the link above.

 * Donate to the Tara Hansen Foundation to support education programs about maternal health and to provide ongoing support to the school at which Tara taught. The Foundation is a registered 501c3 charitable organization.  All donations are tax deductible.