At the time this walk takes place our little girl would have almost been a year old so we thought this would be a great opportunity to celebrate and remember her. It was on September 20, 2007 that we found out Briana had already gone to heaven. There was a twist in her umbilical cord and she wasn't able to get the nutrients that she needed. I gave birth to our first child, Briana Joy on September 21. We love and miss her everyday...what she would have looked like, what her laugh would have sounded like, and the amazing woman she would have become. We can't hold her anymore, but this is one of the few things we can do for her, and we're asking our friends and family to help us. We are raising money for the Missing GRACE Foundation.

Missing GRACE Foundation is a non-profit organization. They focus on helping families heal after the loss of a child. They run support groups, have grief conferences, assist in research, and bring thought leaders in umbilical cord accidents to Minnesota to train healthcare professionals. Missing GRACE has taught me about home monitoring and what to look for in ultrasounds that may indicate another umbilical cord problem. They will be here to hold my hand during my future pregnancies.

Thanks for visiting our fundraising page, we are really looking forward to forming a team and raising some money to help support stillborn awareness. We are in the process of getting "Team Briana" in place for the Hope and Hearts walk on September 6th at the Lake Harriet Bandshell. The walk starts at 9 AM and the cost is $25 to participate and includes a Tshirt. There is no cost for children unless they'd like to participate in the Fun Run.  Depending on the size of "Team Briana" we are considering having custom Tshirts made to wear in memory of our little girl. Following the walk there is an 11:15 balloon release to heaven and then we'd like to invite everyone to have lunch at our home. Children are definately welcome and I will send out more information as the date gets closer. To register go to http://hopeandheartsrun.com/minnesota/ or go to www.missinggrace.org and click on the hope and hearts run link. Then send me an email at heatherjoyhanson@yahoo.com and let me know that you are going to be joining Team Briana!

If you aren't able to walk with us you can still help by donations. We have set a goal of $2000 which is pretty big, but we're hoping that we can make a difference. You can donate through this website, it is simple, fast and totally secure.

Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!

Proud Parents,

Heather & Dirk Hanson