Press release from Monmouth Medical Center

One out of seven pregnant and new moms will experience Postpartum Depression/Anxiety, yet only 15 percent of them will seek help. On Saturday, June 20, Postpartum Progress, a national nonprofit organization focused on vastly improving awareness of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders like postpartum depression, will hold the third annual Climb out of the Darkness — an event, traditionally held around the longest day of the year, designed to raise awareness of all maternal mental illnesses.

As part of the Climb, survivors all over the world — dubbed Warrior Moms — are organizing to climb, hike or walk at a local mountain or park to symbolize their collective rise out of the darkness and stigma of maternal mental illnesses, as well as to raise funds for Postpartum Progress. At 10 am on the morning of June 20, Thompson Park in Lincroft will serve as the scene for The Monmouth Medical Center Climb Out of Darkness.

Monmouth Medical Center Climb Leader Lisa Tremayne also leads the hospital’s Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, which is designed to help women to understand that the disorders are not their fault, and that they are not alone. The nationwide 2015 goal is to raise more than $200,000 to support Postpartum Progress. Funds raised from this event will allow the organization to create new educational materials to be used by obstetricians, pediatricians and other healthcare professionals, as well as new materials to help educate the media on the public health impact of postpartum depression and related illnesses on mothers and children.

“The Climb Out of the Darkness event is so important to our overall cause and our growing community of Warrior Moms, as it grants both the visibility that they so richly deserve,” said Postpartum Progress founder Katherine Stone. “Your local Warrior Mom is rallying together friends, family, the health care community and other survivors to celebrate their journeys rather than feel ashamed of them, therefore reducing the stigma associated with these health issues. We hope that at least one mom who is currently suffering feels empowered to get the help she needs from our efforts…that would make it worth it for us.”

Go here to learn more about Climb Out of the Darkness. To learn more about the Monmouth Medical Center Climb, contact LisaTremayne at (732)923-5573 or ltremayne@barnabashealth.org. All participants must register in advance. Sponsorships from local businesses are also being accepted.