'Keeping her legacy alive': Alison Rose Foundation donates $25,000 to Mercy Hospital

The Alison Rose Foundation donated $25,000 to Mercy Hospital for two postpartum hemorrhage carts for the hospital's Mother Baby and Labor and Delivery units. Hospital officials recognized the donation Friday during a blessing ceremony at the hospital.

Nearly seven years after losing his wife during childbirth, Justin Waclawek is helping make sure other families have a different outcome.

The equipment is designed to help medical teams respond more quickly when a mother experiences severe bleeding after childbirth, with medications and other supplies readily available.

Waclawek's wife, Alison Rose Waclawek, died Aug. 16, 2019, from a rare and often fatal pregnancy complication known as amniotic fluid embolism. She was 31. Their daughter, Ada Rose, survived.

"My wife passed away due to the amniotic fluid embolism, but my daughter Ada was delivered successfully and is doing fantastic," Justin Waclawek said.

In the aftermath of Alison's death, the family established the Alison Rose Foundation in 2019, with a mission to support maternal and infant health, AFE research and awareness, and better outcomes for mothers and babies.

"We pretty quickly pivoted into opening a foundation because we wanted to take a tragic loss and make something great out of it," Waclawek said. "And so we are supporting the maternal and fetal care across all of Western New York."

The foundation has donated more than $250,000 to nonprofit hospitals and the National AFE Foundation, according to the family.

WATCH: 'Keeping her legacy alive': Alison Rose Foundation donates $25,000 to Mercy Hospital

At Mercy Hospital, the new carts will give medical staff immediate access to medications during a postpartum hemorrhage emergency.

Lisa Voigt, manager of Labor and Delivery at Mercy Hospital, said staff sometimes have to leave the patient's bedside or send someone to retrieve medications stored elsewhere.

The new carts are equipped to keep those medications readily available.

"A lot of times in these emergency events, you have someone that needs, like, IVs and management for the actual hemorrhage," Voigt said. "Somebody has to run and get those medications because they're locked away in a Pyxis. These carts have the ability to have live medications at all times that are available to us at our fingertips."

Voigt said having those supplies immediately accessible can make a significant difference during an emergency.

"Oh, without question. These are going to save lives, without question, because having everything immediately at your fingertips without having to run or send a runner is extremely valuable," she said.

For Alison's mother, Amy Carey, the foundation is also a way to make sure people remember the woman behind its mission.

"We wanted to continue Alison's legacy and also keep her close in our hearts and also help the community know more about her and who she was," Carey said. "She was a very giving individual."

The family says it hopes to continue expanding its support to hospitals, including those that may not have the financial resources to purchase specialized equipment on their own.

"Continuing to spread that legacy to local hospitals that may not all have the funds to acquire these capital investments themselves," Justin Waclawek said.

For the Waclawek and Carey families, each donation is another way to honor Alison's life while helping protect other mothers and babies.

For more information on the foundation, click here.