Hey y’all! I am Tomeka James Isaac. I was born and raised in Eastern North Carolina and currently live in Denver, North Carolina with my husband Brandon. A life-altering past experience called me to this work.
In 2017, I set out to find decent healthcare for my pregnancy with our son Jace. That journey would set us stranded in uncharted territory.
On May 14, 2018, at almost 36 weeks, Brandon and I were told emotionlessly by hospital staff, after being rushed to the Emergency Department after passing out at home, that Jace would be born still. I was also diagnosed with HELLP (Hemolysis, Elevated Liver Enzymes, Low Platelets) Syndrome and would spend the next 45 days in the hospital undergoing numerous surgeries and developing an infection that caused us to miss Jace’s funeral.
Losing Jace caused us to re-examine the facts of our medical diagnosis to see what happened, what needed to change, and what could be done to prevent this from happening to anyone ever again. Not only did my providers fail to perform routine urine tests throughout my “high risk” pregnancy, they also failed to educate me on kick counting and warning signs for preeclampsia/HELLP Syndrome.
The tragic, yet preventable death of Jace and almost losing my life in the process birthed an unbridled passion and purpose for me to spread awareness. I want to be a catalyst for change as it relates to racial and implicit biases in healthcare faced by African American women and infants on a daily basis.
I am a speaker, educator, author, and advocate. In 2019, Brandon and I founded Jace’s Journey, a nonprofit organization working towards eliminating the disparities in maternal and infant health through education, advocacy and community engagement, where I serve as Executive Director.
I am thrilled and honored to be an Ambassador for Count the Kicks to educate communities on kick counting to prevent stillbirths and improve disparities in North Carolina.
Back to Ambassadors